


Heaven On Earth

by thelonelywriter



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Accidental Cuddling, Alpha Dean, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angel Castiel (Supernatural), Arranged Marriage, Bickering, Blow Jobs, Castiel in Heat, Cuddling & Snuggling, Demon Dean Winchester, Eventual Sex, Fluff and Smut, Gentle Dean, Innocent Castiel, Knotting, M/M, Marking, Mating Bites, Mating Bond, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Castiel, Rimming, Sexual Tension, Sharing a Bed, Slow Build Castiel/Dean Winchester, Slow Romance, Twink Castiel, forced mating, i explained it more in the beginning notes just to clarify, i put him in there for reasons okay don't yell at me, if u don't see any i don't blame u, it's all consensual tho i promise, not the marriage but the setup u kno, tiniest bit of angst u ever saw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-14
Updated: 2018-01-08
Packaged: 2019-02-02 00:57:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 30,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12716481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelonelywriter/pseuds/thelonelywriter
Summary: Dean Winchester was happy in Hell.Castiel was content in Heaven.But, the passing of a century changed that, calling upon an ancient contract drawn up between Heaven and Hell, a cease fire between both worlds. In order for the contract to be seen through, a demon and angel must defy natural order and carry out a bond by mating.And suddenly, Dean Winchester wasn't so happy in Hell.Castiel was no longer content in Heaven.Called down to Earth to see through an impossible task, the tension between them is enough to show that the bond can't be carried out, not with Dean so stubborn and Castiel impossible to reach. But, something has to shift between them in order to carry things through; Heaven and Hell depend on them…





	1. God Works In Mysterious Ways

**Author's Note:**

> i have /no clue/ why i wrote this or why i am posting this because i am /very insecure/ about this whole fic. it came out of nowhere, sucker punched me in the gut, and took half of my belongings. go figure.
> 
> ANYWAYS.
> 
> this fic turned out to be about 30k words and i divided it into nine chapters. the first one (the one i'm currently posting) is the second longest one, most of them will be about 2k to 4k words in total.
> 
> something i want to make clear:
> 
> i know i put "forced mating" in the tags and i know this is an arranged marriage sort of deal, but i PROMISE YOU everything that eventually happens between dean and cas is completely CONSENSUAL and WANTED. idk about ya'll but sometimes non con/dub con squiks me out. though the premise of this fic is that general "they hate each other and are thrown into this" trope, nothing between them is uncomfortable/dubious and if you get that sense just know that's not at all what i was trying to convey.
> 
> THAT BEING SAID.
> 
> this fic was a huge step outside of my comfort zone and in the week that i wrote it i got major mixed feelings about it. it's definitely not my best work and it's definitely a little wonky because i've never really written something within the bounds of this. HOWEVER, i really hope that one of you is at least interested in it even though the tags are a mess and probably make it look bad initially :-)
> 
> i'll stop talking now and let you read though!!! i need to figure out an update schedule, i'm thinking once or twice a week, since it's already been prewritten, however, you don't have to worry about me disappearing off the map and never finishing it :)))
> 
> enjoy!!

It was dark by the time they met, the sun already set far down under the landscape of trees in the thickly settled forest. The air was cold, it always was in the Maine winters, and it showed in the fog of their breaths.

“And why are we meeting in the middle of the forest at night?” Michael’s tone was calm and cool, though it did have the slightest bite to it, as per usual. Michael could never be described as a warm person, not even by his Father. It showed, even in his ministrations.

“Oh, please. You of all people know why,” Crowley replied, waving a flippant hand. Michael’s face fell into a dull, almost displeased look.

“You couldn’t have called me some other time, called me somewhere else? This isn’t exactly the place to discuss the matter at hand,” he told Crowley, voice unamused. Crowley simply shrugged, slipping his hands into his pockets.

“Would you rather me call you down to the Throne Room so all of Hell’s demons can ogle at you?” Crowley questioned. Michael firmed his jaw.

“I could have called you up into Heaven to a private room where this matter could be discussed in a pleasant setting,” Michael said. Crowley shook his head.

“Please, no time for bickering,” he replied, which, was a little rich coming from Crowley who bickered like nobody’s business. “It’s been a century, literally, and now we need to barter.”

Michael sighed.

“Reason with each other would be a better term,” he replied dully. Crowley huffed a breath of laughter.

“You call it whatever makes you comfy. Now, how are we going to go about this? Throw it under the rug, or make a fuss?” Crowley questioned.

“It’s hardly “making a fuss”. It’s informing those whose lives are affected,” Michael argued.

“Not many people are “affected” by this,” Crowley shot back. Michael raised an eyebrow.

“The entirety of Heaven and Hell are affected by this agreement. You have to admit that, on some level, they deserve to know,” Michael told Crowley who sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Some of them do know; we’ve been doing this for thousands of years, it’s hardly a secret,” Crowley went on.

“Then why would you want to throw it under the rug, so to speak?” Michael shot back in question. Crowley only rolled his eyes again as if the answer were obvious.

“If we make it some big thing, we’ll have to gather angels and demons and make some horrid speech about the history of Heaven and Hell and the history of the agreement made oh so long ago,” Crowley explained dryly. “It’s easier to stay hushed about it.”

Michael arched an eyebrow.

“”Easier” isn’t always better.”

His voice had a somewhat warning tone to it that Crowley knew; Crowley also knew he didn’t want to get in a fight with the leader of Heaven in the middle of some Maine woods at night.

“Alright, tell me your take on this then,” Crowley prompted, crossing his arms over his chest. Michael took a breath and straightened up.

“We call separate meetings with our higher ups. I’ll call together my archangels, you call together whomever is most important in your line of work.”

Crowley raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing, only continued to listen.

“We keep them separate, but tell them the same thing.”

“Which is…?” Crowley prompted.

“We need to exchange one of them to carry out the bond. I know that all the archangels know about the nature of the bond and the contract it binds. The word can be spread among them, likely it will reach those who don’t know or haven’t heard of it yet,” Michael explained.

“And I’ll do the same?” Crowley questioned. 

“Yes,” Michael replied with a nod. Crowley seemingly took in Michael’s words, thought them over and figured that, though agreeing with Michael was something he never enjoyed, it was the best thing to do.

“Alright, sounds fair. When will we do the exchange?” Crowley asked.

“First of November, as per usual. The woods behind Heaven at noon,” Michael told Crowley who sighed and gave a nod of his head.

“I’ll be sure to jot that down in my date book.”

\---

Castiel was very happy in Heaven, thank you very much. Even though he was one of the angels in the middle of the hierarchy, not too high up but definitely not low in the ranks, he was one of the younger omega angels. Of course, he sat in on some meetings and worked as a strategist here and there, but he was content up in a Heaven that was well known for its forests and nice scenery. He spent a lot of time watching bees and relaxing, even though he was occasionally looked down upon for for it.

Sometimes it frustrated him, however, knowing that some of the other angels saw him as some little cupid on a whole different cloud. Castiel knew he was smart, even despite his older brother’s teasing, Gabriel and Balthazar and Raphael. It was not out of the ordinary then, for Gabriel (especially Gabriel) to come up behind him and ruffle his hair in the way he had always done ever since Castiel was a child.

It annoyed Castiel to an extent he couldn’t voice.

“Hey little bro,” he greeted casually, turning the corner of the bench Cas was sitting on that sat near the edge of one of Heaven’s gardens.

“Quit it, Gabriel,” Cas grumbled, swatting at Gabriel’s hand. Gabriel only grinned a lopsided grin that made Cas possibly more angry.

“I see you’re slacking again,” Gabriel mused, looking down at Cas who had been simply minding his own business, watching the breeze that had been drifting through the flowers in the garden. It was a particularly nice day, Cas assumed he would be able to bask in a little solitude.

Apparently, that wasn’t the case, however.

“I’m not slacking, Gabriel,” Cas replied, glaring up at Gabriel. “Michael hasn’t given me orders in a while and none of the other archangels are assigning me to anything. I have no reason to be down on Earth so I figured I’d stay up here for today,” Castiel explained. “Heaven has been dull lately,” Cas then mumbled under his breath. Gabriel snorted at that, and Castiel looked up at him. “What?” he questioned. Gabriel looked almost amused, and Cas had no clue why.

“It’s been dull lately, huh?” Gabriel repeated. A little crease formed between Cas’ brows as they furrowed.

“Yes…” Cas replied cautiously, trailing off. Gabriel huffed another breath of laughter. 

“It’s not gonna be dull in the upcoming weeks,” Gabriel said. Cas frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“Didn’t anyone tell you about the meeting? Michael called all the archangels together for a meeting this morning,” Gabriel informed Cas who only frowned more and shook his head. “Maybe if you hadn’t been slacking you would have heard,” Gabriel mumbled under his breath, looking away from Castiel.

“What was the meeting about?” Castiel inquired, choosing to ignore Gabriel’s second jab at him about “slacking off”.

“It’s been a century so it’s time to renew Heaven and Hell’s bond,” Gabriel told Cas who simply blinked.

“Bond?” he echoed. 

“C’mon, Cas, don’t tell me you don’t know about the bond,” Gabriel replied. Cas shook his head.

“I know that Heaven and Hell do deals together, sometimes Michael works with Crowley to keep the peace,” Cas offered up. Castiel knew about the relation of Heaven to Hell, and he figured he knew most of the details, but he was beginning to have doubts with the way Gabriel was talking to him.

“There’s one deal that’s done every century. Literally, every one hundred years, Heaven and Hell get together and sign a contract,” Gabriel told Castiel who still looked confused. Gabriel sighed and went to sit next to Cas.

“You seriously don’t know about this?” Gabriel questioned, and Castiel shook his head. Gabriel sighed.

“There’s a blood binding contract that’s signed every hundred years between an angel and a demon,” Gabriel began. Castiel shook his head.

“Why would that make things less dull around here?”

“Because Heaven gives up an angel and Hell gives up a demon. And then they put them together. And they sign a contract that basically declares a ceasefire between Heaven and Hell. We can’t go invade those douchebags downstairs, they can’t climb up here and tear shit up,” Gabriel explained with a shrug. 

“So, Michael is just going to pick an angel to go and… sign a contract?” Castiel ventured. He was fairly sure there was a little more to what Gabriel was telling him.

“It’s a little more complicated than that,” Gabriel huffed. 

“Then explain it,” Castiel replied bluntly. Gabriel looked over at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Listen, Cas, you’re still a baby and you’re not gonna have any involvement in this so it’s best you don’t worry,” Gabriel assured. Castiel grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes, anger simmering lowly inside of him.

“I’m not a baby, Gabriel, and you know that. I’ve gone on missions both up here and down on Earth and I deserve to know what’s going on in Heaven. I have a right to know just like all other angels do,” Castiel informed Gabriel with an edge to his tone. Gabriel rolled his eyes and looked away from Cas, something that made Cas only more angry.

“Stay on Cloud Nine, baby bro,” Gabriel sighed, rising from where he sat and ruffling Cas’ hair once more. “If you really want some explaining why don’t you go ask Michael, he’ll tell you point blank about everything and then some,” Gabriel said, pointing a finger at Castiel who glared so thunderously it was a miracle the garden didn’t cloud over or that rain didn’t begin to fall. “Either him or Raphael. You know how he is, always upfront.”

“Gabriel, you know that Raphael won’t talk to me! He’s even worse than you are, he thinks I’m not even a real angel, he thinks I’m some messed up version of a cupid!” Castiel called out to Gabriel who turned his back and began to walk out of the garden.

“Try Balth then!” Gabriel called back over his shoulder. “You know he’s shameless!”

Castiel took a deep breath and let it out through his nose, his teeth gritted and fists clenched. Gabriel was great sometimes, even fun to hang around with on occasion, but it was times like these that put a dent in his character. Castiel loved him, truly, just like he did all his brothers, but sometimes Gabriel was a piece of work that Cas wanted no part of. At least he had given him a lead, however, on the bond between Heaven and Hell. Castiel knew he would have to look into it more, and he knew it could possibly be difficult, but he was nothing if not determined.

\---

Dean Winchester was very happy in Hell, thank you very much. And yes, that’s an odd sentence to read or hear since, well, Hell is Hell and usually it’s perceived as something terrible; but not to Dean Winchester.

Dean had a complicated past, a very very complicated past with twists and turns and family issues. A deadbeat dad, murdered mom, and a brother he abandoned, well, you would think that he would have some remorse. But, upon becoming a demon, upon abandoning an old lifestyle that never offered him well, enough, he was seemingly perfectly okay with the life he was living downstairs - so to speak.

Dean was one of the higher ups in Hell, yet in his own way. He was one of the most dominant alphas in the Hell Crowley was running and he generally did as he pleased because of that. Crowley offered him deeds and deals to carry out here and there, and Dean was content to do them or put them aside, and usually Crowley didn’t fuss about it. Crowley and Dean got along quite well, actually, and that was something that benefited seemingly both of them. They were usually on the same page, too, so when Dean was called into the empty Throne Room with Crowley on his Throne, well, he figured a nice and simple business deal was about to play out.

“Dean, there you are,” Crowley said, sitting up straight when Dean waltzed into the room, hands in pockets, completely at ease.

“Here I am,” Dean replied, smiling wide up at Crowley. “What do you want?” he questioned bluntly. There was no use in sweet talking Crowley, no use in conjuring up a conversation. Crowley usually didn’t disturb Dean unless he needed something from him.

“Well, Dean, that’s a complicated question with a complicated answer,” Crowley replied sweetly. Dean raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, it is, is it?”

Crowley gave a nod of his head.

“Dean, have you heard of the bond between Heaven and Hell? The blood contract signed every century?” Crowley questioned. Dean snorted.

“Sounds like the plot to a bad novel,” Dean replied simply. Crowley nodded with a smile.

“Well, I’m afraid it’s the plot to the life you’re living. Every hundred years Heaven and Hell exchange a demon and an angel. They mate, sign a contract in blood, and it gives us a hundred more years of peace between Heaven and Hell. Well, basic peace. Heaven and Hell still bicker, you know that,” Crowley went on. Dean raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, okay, nice story. Now, what do you want from me and does it have anything to do with this freaky witchcraft bullshit?”

“It’s hardly bullshit, Dean,” Crowley warned.

“Well, it sounds like it,” Dean simply replied with a shrug. Crowley sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I need you to mate with an angel.”

There was a silence that draped itself over the room, almost deafening.

And then Dean laughed.

And then Dean laughed some more because he had heard Crowley joke but this was just absurd.

“Alright, you got me, funny stuff, Crowley. You really had me going there,” Dean told Crowley. Dean knew at that point that Crowley _had_ to be joking. There was no way he would call _Dean_ in to do such a menial labor job.

But, to Dean’s surprise, Crowley looked serious. 

“Dean, as much as I would love for this to be an elaborate joke, I’m serious. This is a serious matter and I need you to carry out the job,” Crowley insisted. 

Dean took a moment to digest Crowley’s words, to really think about the situation. Demons and angels mating was some laughable tale told at parties, not something Dean ever even thought would actually have to happen. 

“Crowley, dude,” Dean huffed, shaking his head.

“Don’t “dude” me, Dean, this is serious,” Crowley interrupted. Dean looked up at him and saw that his gaze was intent, obviously serious.

“You honestly think I’m gonna _mate_ with an angel? Me? Crowley, there are hundreds of demons down here, go call someone else,” Dean told Crowley who shook his head.

“Dean, I would love to call someone else, really, but you’re my best option here. I’ve bartered with Michael enough already and we’ve discussed what type of bond needs to be played out and you’re a vital part in it,” Crowley explained. 

“Vital part?” Dean repeated.

“An alpha demon and an omega angel make for the ideal pair. Now, a dominant alpha male demon is pretty much the best we can do, and that’s exactly what you are,” Crowley continued on.

“So, you throw me into some bonding shit for that? Do you know what I could do down here instead?” Dean asked, raising his voice just slightly and causing Crowley to cringe a little.

“Dean, you’re capable of a lot of things but what I need from you the most is this. I need you to carry out the bond. You’re welcome to come back here after that,” Crowley offered.

“And reek of omega angel? Have that disgusting claimed smell? You think I’d get respect around here?” Dean inquired, both eyebrows raised.

“You will get respect, actually, because people will know that you carried out a blood contract to keep Heaven and Hell from jumping down each other’s throats at every opportunity,” Crowley replied, trying to keep a steady tone, though Dean was making it difficult. 

Dean took a breath and paused. It was obvious this wasn’t some light hearted decision, nor was it one Dean was looking at making happily; but he was starting to wonder what he could benefit from carrying it out.

“Who’s the angel?” Dean questioned, crossing his arms and looking up at Crowley. Crowley sighed and waved a hand.

“Michael is still trying to pick. Apparently omega angels are sparse at the moment,” Crowley grumbled, shaking his head.

“How does it work, exactly?” Dean then questioned. Crowley took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh.

“November first, the angel and the demon are put together, they meet each other. There’s about a month’s time period for the opportunity to nest and court each other. There’s a cabin in the woods behind Heaven’s gate that’s usually used for the nesting period. Usually, the demon and the angel take about a month before they mate; and mating simply means fornication and a mating bite on the neck. After that, the contract is signed down here where it was originally made,” Crowley explained. Dean clucked his tongue and thought over it a bit more. 

“What else do I get from this?” Dean asked. Crowley sighed and waved a hand.

“You do become more powerful when you mate with an angel. Not God strength powerful but, enough, you know,” Crowley added on, looking hopeful.

Dean eyed Crowley and thought it over a little more. On one hand, there was a twisted way that this bonding thing would make sense; on the other hand, Dean was pretty sure it was bullshit. But, Crowley looked very hopeful. And it was a very important matter. It involved Heaven and Hell. And if Dean was able to return to Hell then maybe the deal wasn’t so bad…

“Alright. Tell me when you find out who the angel is,” Dean told Crowley who looked utterly relieved. “And make sure whoever it is isn’t a douchebag,” Dean then added on before heading out of the Throne Room.

“Not a problem,” Crowley called after him with a sigh of relief.

\---

After Gabriel had left Castiel alone in the garden, Castiel decided to take matters into his own hands.

Gabriel had mentioned seeing Balthazar, and Cas thought to do so initially. However, he decided that if he went to Michael he would get the full story, no doubt about it. Michael was always upfront about anything and everything, and Castiel was sure that he would get an answer. So, he wandered out of the garden and down into the maze of Heaven, past all different doors down all different halls. He knew where Michael usually was, but even then he couldn’t count on him to be there. If Heaven was about to get hectic, he could be anywhere in Heaven’s halls, or he could even be down on Earth talking things over with Crowley.

Castiel wandered down hallway after hallway until he found the door that Michael was usually found behind. And before Cas even knocked or stepped foot inside, he knew Michael was in there because he could hear Michael’s voice. Michael was… arguing with someone.

“I don’t care, he’s exactly what we need, what Heaven needs. He’s perfect and I know he’ll do well,” 

Cas heard Michael say through the door.

“Are you kidding me?”

Came a second voice. An awfully familiar voice…

“They’ll eat him alive! Whatever scumbag demon tries to mate with him will tear him to shreds! Do you know how young he is, how innocent? This deal is not for him, Michael, you have to have another angel carry it out.”

Gabriel, it was Gabriel’s voice Castiel could hear through the door. Castiel stepped a little closer, brought his ear up to the door.

“That’s not the issue here!” Michael shot back. Castiel could tell from even just the air around him that Michael was displeased and angry.

“Yeah, the issue is that you can’t pull your head out of your ass!” Gabriel replied.

“Do not speak to me that way, Gabriel,” Michael grit out. “Heaven needs him, this contract is vital to keeping the peace,” he went on.

“Okay, fine, I won’t argue there, we need the stupid contract to get along but do we really need to throw him into the mix? He’s one of the purest angels in the garrison, he shouldn’t be some ingredient of sacrifice in your big recipe to save Heaven and Hell. He doesn’t even know about the contract to the full extent of what it is,” Gabriel told Michael.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the door, Castiel was wondering just who they were talking about and why Gabriel was so upset. Castiel knew Gabriel and Michael fought fairly often, but this fight seemingly felt different, more intense maybe.

“Gabriel,” Michael sighed on the other side of the door. There was a pause after that before Michael sighed once more. “Castiel, I know you’re eavesdropping. Just come in,” Michael said, and Castiel froze, but did as Michael said, opening up the door and slipping in slowly and carefully.

“I’m sorry for listening but I heard yelling and-”

“No, no, it’s fine, Castiel, there’s no need to worry. Gabriel and I were just having a discussion,” Michael rectified.

“More like argument,” Gabriel huffed, earning a displeased look from Michael.

“With all due respect, Michael,” Castiel began slowly. “Who were you talking about?”

Gabriel and Michael exchanged looks.

“Go ahead, Michael, tell him just what you told me,” Gabriel said with a chill to his tone. Michael took a deep breath and clasped his hands together on his desk.

“Castiel, I need you to carry out the contract between Heaven and Hell,” Michael told Castiel whose heart leapt in his chest. Doing things for Heaven was good, right? Involvement in Heaven’s deeds was something that would earn Castiel respect, right?

“Tell him the rest, Michael, he needs to know. He deserves to know,” Gabriel added on. Cas’ stomach flopped at those words, at the grim tone they were spoken in. Perhaps there was more to the story than what initially appeared.

“Castiel, Gabriel has told me that you know nothing about the bond between Heaven and Hell,” Michael said outright. Castiel glared over at Gabriel who shrugged.

“Well, I know it’s a blood binding contract between an angel and a demon. And I know it’s carried out every hundred years to keep an ultimate ceasefire between Heaven and Hell,” Castiel told Michael who nodded.

“Well, see, Heaven has to give up an angel for this, just as Hell gives up a demon,” Michael told Castiel who nodded.

“The two sign the contract in blood,” Castiel filled in for him. Michael shook his head, and confusion dawned on Cas’ face.

“The angel and the demon have to mate, Cas. They’re put together to nest and court each other for the month of November before they mate so they can sign the contract,” Gabriel told Castiel, his voice almost hushed. Castiel only blinked, unsure of what to do with that sort of information.

“Demons and angels,” Cas began, pausing before continuing. “They don’t mate. They never mate. That’s a foolish tale told in the garrison,” Castiel went on. There was some disbelief to what Michael and Gabriel were saying. Cas knew enough about mating, he was old enough; he knew about alphas and omegas and the mating habits of them. Angels mated, and demons did the same, just never with each other.

“It’s true that they rarely do but in this case, they have to,” Michael nodded.

“Have to? Isn’t that a little unethical?” Castiel questioned, trying to keep a non-incredulous tone.

“It’s a contract that was drawn up eons ago and back then demons and angels mating wasn’t something that sounded unethical enough to stop things. The bond between an angel and a demon is enough for genuine witchcraft to carry out a simple and clean cut contract. And since it’s only done every hundred years no one made too much of a fuss about it. It keeps peace between Heaven and Hell and-”

“Will you stop talking about the peace of Heaven and Hell, Michael? For once? I know it’s important, I know it’s vital to keeping everyone down on Earth safe, but for the love of all that is holy, you don’t have to sacrifice one of our best angels just to keep that!” Gabriel exclaimed. Michael took a breath and closed his eyes, obviously trying to collect himself.

“Um, which angel are we talking about?” Castiel cut in because he was starting to get a little antsy. With everything that Gabriel and Michael were saying, it kind of sounded like…

“It’s you, Castiel,” Michael said, voice quiet. “I’ve picked you to carry out the bond.”

“This is ridiculous,” Gabriel huffed, shaking his head.

Castiel felt his stomach drop down well past his feet. He had only just learned about some ludicrous bond made every hundred years, something that sounded almost fake if he did say so himself, and now he was apparently being thrown into the middle of it.

Great.

“I’m sorry?” Castiel said, because there had to have been a mistake, Michael wouldn’t choose _him_ to do this, to take part in this.

“An omega angel, a young and pure one is the best we can do. It’s part of the dynamics. The bond is carried out best if the demon is an alpha male, usually very dominant, and the omega angel is a little more submissive. It dates back to ancient times when stereotypes were-”

“Fuck the stereotypes!” Gabriel exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. “That was eons ago, this is now, this is the present, and we don’t live in some stone age era where we need to carry out rituals just like they were made in the Dark Ages,” he went on. Michael grit his teeth and went to rub at his temples.

“Gabriel, you’re getting on my last nerve and you have no part in this,” Michael grit out.

“Yeah, Michael, I do have a part in this because Cas is my baby brother and he’s not ready for something like this. And, y’know, you’re his brother too, Michael, okay, and you would know that this is not fair,” Gabriel added on.

“Not fair? Not fair?” Michael repeated, opening his eyes and looking over at Gabriel. “Of course it’s not fair, Gabriel! Heaven shouldn’t have to toss an angel down to mate with a demon, but that’s how things work,” Michael bit back.

“So, I’m the angel you’re going to toss down? I’m the one that gets separated from all the others?” Castiel inquired, trying to keep from sounding indignant. Michael looked over at him, almost sympathetic, and sighed.

“Castiel, we don’t have a choice. You’re our best option,” Michael told Cas.

“Oh,” Castiel let out quietly, looking down at the floor, his heart sinking. Apparently abandonment felt like this. Cas had never quite felt like this before. He had always felt like he was part of Heaven, part of a family. That was seemingly fading, however.

“There’s always a choice, Michael. You’re just too much of a pussy to recognize that,” Gabriel said.

Michael looked over at him, flash of blue in his eyes and Cas knew that wasn’t good. Michael waved a hand as if it were nothing, and in less than a second Gabriel was gone from the room, causing slight panic to flare inside of Cas.

“Where did you send him?” Castiel asked quickly, knowing that even though Gabriel and Michael were both archangels, Michael had more power than the rest of them. That’s why he ran Heaven after all.

“He’s just in the garrison outside, he’s safe,” Michael assured Castiel. “He’s not a part of this, he doesn’t need to be here. He’ll cool off out there,” Michael went on. Castiel let out a sigh, somewhat in relief, though he wasn’t as relieved as he could be. With Gabriel gone, Castiel knew he didn’t stand a chance against Michael and his orders.

“Castiel, I’m sorry that I have to do this, but it’s for the greater good. I need you to be a part of this,” Michael said, looking up at Castiel hopefully.

A swirl of emotions flooded Castiel at that glance, the eye contact he held. Castiel wanted nothing more than to please Michael, to do good by Heaven, but mating with a demon was a tall order. Castiel was innocent and young, an omega angel that only wanted to do good, and perhaps that was why Michael chose Castiel for the task. He knew that Cas wouldn’t say no, nor would he fight. Castiel didn’t quite have it in him, not yet. Not when Heaven and Hell were at stake.

“Will I be able to return to Heaven after this?” Cas questioned quietly. Michael smiled softly and nodded. Cas breathed a sigh of relief, yet he knew it wouldn’t be the same. Coming into Heaven with that claimed smell, coming into Heaven with the scent of a demon, it would drive others away from him. But at least he’d still be family… right?


	2. At First Glance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas and Dean meet for the first time, and general feelings begin to surface. Good or bad? Or maybe somewhere in between...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whaaaaat it hasn't been a week already has it???? ANYWAYS chapter two comes along and we get a glance at dean and cas and how they perceive each other at first. i don't have too much to say about this chapter, but i do want to update you guys and say that i've been working very hard on another fic for almost a week and it's currently a WIP at 36k words. 
> 
> i plan on hopefully finishing it today, though that may not happen, i might have to dip into tomorrow or even the day after. BUT i'm pretty sure that it'll be finished and (hopefully) chaptered/edited before i finish up the rest of this fic. THAT MEANS that since i'm working on this other fic, this current fic (the one ur readin' right now) will be updated every monday. THEN if i get the other fic finished i'll start posting that so that HOPEFULLY there will be a period in time where i'm updating not only this fic once a week, but another fic once a week, so you'll have two different ones to read!! (makes sense???)
> 
> anyways, sorry for rambling on but i just wanted to keep you guys in the know. hope you guys enjoy this chapter!!! 
> 
> (p.s. if you get the /tiniest/ ever hot fuzz reference i snuck in here, i'll give you a million brownie points)

There wasn’t much time before November came around and the leaves began to change color in the gardens of Heaven. Castiel relished in the beauty of it as much as he could, knowing that soon enough he would be down on Earth. Castiel loved Earth, don’t get him wrong, but he would much rather be on Earth on a mission; a real mission, one that didn’t involve blood contracts and demons and mating.

So, Castiel spent as much time as he could in the gardens and talking with other angels. He kept quiet about his situation, though he hazarded a guess that some of the angels knew already. He could tell by some of the looks he got, looks he wasn’t too fond of.

Cas tried to laugh as much as he could, even though it was a little difficult sometimes with his situation looming over him like some twisted storm cloud. Gabriel was seemingly good at staving those clouds off, however, and he spent most of his time with Cas in the lead up to November. It was the turning of October into November first that Castiel and Gabriel were in the gardens together, Castiel sitting in the cool grass picking out leaves that had fallen already, Gabriel sitting next to him, offering him up more leaves to look at.

“I have to leave soon,” Castiel said softly, looking over the leaves in front of him and glancing over at Gabriel whose eyes were set on the ground. Castiel looked back down at the grass, feeling as though maybe he had misspoken, as though maybe he shouldn’t bring it up until Michael came to pick him up and bring him to Earth.

“I know,” Gabriel sighed, handing a reddish colored leaf over to Cas that had a beautiful starburst pattern in the middle. There was a pause, a silence before he spoke again. “I’m sorry that Michael pulled you into this mess, Cas,” Gabriel then offered up. Cas shook his head and looked over at Gabriel.

“You don’t have to apologize, it’s not your fault.”

“If I could do anything you know I would, right?” Gabriel said, looking over at Cas who was twirling the stem of the leaf between his fingers.

“I know, Gabriel,” Cas replied softly. “It’ll be okay though. I can handle this,” Cas assured Gabriel, though his voice wavered.

“I know you can, I just wish you didn’t have to go through with it,” Gabriel went on. Cas shrugged.

“Well, I don’t either. I don’t think any angel would want to,” Cas huffed. 

“Hey, if I could take your place, I would in a heartbeat,” Gabriel assured Cas with a little smile. Cas looked over at him and smiled softly back.

“Thanks, Gabriel,” Cas replied.

“You gonna miss me?” Gabriel then asked, ruffling Cas’ hair, lightening the mood as Cas batted his hand away.

“Not too much,” Cas teased, earning a nudge from Gabriel who was still smiling.

“I gotta admit, Cas, as much as you pester me, I’ll miss you,” Gabriel told Cas with a softer smile. Cas shrugged.

“You’ll be distracted. You’ll have missions to go on and deeds to do. You’re one of the archangels after all,” Cas said. Gabriel sighed and shook his head.

“Yeah, but I’ll have to deal with Michael who’s got a stick up his ass on a regular basis,” Gabriel huffed, and Castiel laughed at that before he heard someone clear their throat behind him. Cas and Gabriel both turned around and saw Michael standing above them looking rather ominous.

“I’m glad you think so highly of me, Gabriel,” Michael said, cocking his head to the side. Gabriel shot him a glare and Michael cleared his throat. “Castiel, it’s time to go. We’re meeting Crowley in the woods behind Heaven’s gate,” Michael told Cas. Cas’ stomach flopped, anticipation and nerves running through him as he swallowed thickly and nodded. He looked over at Gabriel one last time, and before he could stand, Gabriel was pulling him into a hug. Cas hesitated before he relaxed into it with a sigh. Gabriel wasn’t one to show emotion, nor one to hug anyone really, so Cas took it to heart.

“Stay safe, Cas,” Gabriel told Cas softly before pulling away. Cas attempted a smile and a nod before he rose to his feet to stand next to Michael. He took in a breath and stood tall. He knew he had to be stoic, he knew there was no time to retreat, to wuss out. This was something he had to do, and he would do it.

“Goodbye, Gabriel,” Castiel bid as Michael laid a hand on Cas’ shoulder. Gabriel sent Cas a soft smile before him and Michael were gone, disappeared into thin air. 

Appearing in the middle of a forest that Cas had seen before, Cas let out a sigh. Michael took his hand away from Cas’ shoulder and Cas had a moment to feel utterly alone. No one else was in the woods, it was simply him and Michael. And Michael was never good company.

Castiel looked around, took a moment to appreciate the trees and the leaves. It was a rather nice area of woods, and the scenery was enough to calm Cas just the slightest.

“Crowley and Dean should be here any moment,” Michael said, and Cas paused.

“Dean?” he echoed. In the lead up to November, Michael hadn’t said much to Cas about the demon he’d be meeting and Cas had assumed it was because Michael didn’t know too much. But apparently, he at least had a name.

“That’s the demon you’ll be mating with,” Michael supplied, and Castiel cringed ever so. Mating. That word had turned ugly fast in Cas’ book ever since the entire bonding contract was brought up.

“Why did Crowley pick him?” Castiel questioned, looking up and over at Michael.

“Dean is a very dominant alpha in Hell and he’s perfect in means of fulfilling the dynamic between him and the angel which, in this case, is you.”

Castiel swallowed thickly.

“Is he… nice?” Cas ventured. He was aware in a small part of his brain that he sounded like an idiot, but he didn’t care all too much since he was probably as nervous as he had ever been. Or at least this situation was in his top ten.

“Well, I don’t have any personal experience with him but I’m sure he is,” Michael said, trying for a reassuring smile that wasn’t all too reassuring. Like, at all.

“Why don’t you and Crowley pick an angel and a demon that get along?” Castiel inquired. He felt so small compared to Michael, so small in the whole situation. 

“Well, like I’ve previously said, stereotypes are sadly still reinforced. If we picked an alpha angel and an omega demon, it would throw things off. The bond is specific and asks for specific needs to be filled,” Michael explained.

“Oh,” Castiel replied quietly, looking away and down at the forest floor. There was a pause before Michael spoke.

“Castiel, I know that this is difficult, but the whole of Heaven appreciates this. This is for the greater good and what you’re doing is a blessing to all the angels in Heaven,” Michael told Cas. Cas scoffed internally. The deeper Cas got into this bonding bullshit, the more he thought it was, well, bullshit.

Castiel wasn’t so sure what to reply with, but luckily, he didn’t have to.

The sound of leaves rustling interrupted both him and Michael.

And then a smell.

And then Cas turned to where it was coming from and there was Crowley and apparently “Dean”.

Cas got mixed feelings about him the second he saw him.

“Michael, long time no see,” Crowley said, smiling sweetly at Michael. 

“Crowley,” Michael simply replied.

Cas immediately pushed that conversation away, however, and focused on “Dean”. He smelled him first, the classic smell of a demon; something heady, almost harsh, something that could be assaulting to angels at first and boy was it. Castiel could tell from fifteen feet away that this demon really was an alpha and was definitely dominant.

His smell was… interesting. The smell that was beneath the initial rush of the smell of a demon. His smell was heady, solid, and oddly… comforting? Could Cas call it that? It wasn’t exactly unpleasant, to Cas surprise; somehow it was… addicting. Cas wanted more of it. 

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of things, Dean was doing the same thing Cas was doing to him: scenting him.

Dean could describe Cas’ smell as warm, soft, intricate, and sweet. Sometimes omegas had sickeningly sweet scents, especially angel omegas. But, Cas’ smell was like marshmallows and Dean’s favorite flowers. Delicate, almost.

Dean let out a low whistle as he looked over the rest of Cas. 

“And who are you wearing?” Dean questioned with a lopsided smirk. Dean knew angels needed vessels, and whatever vessel this angel was in was perfect. Young, early to mid twenties if Dean was right, swimming in a suit and a trench coat that looked far too big on him, perfect pink lips, smooth, tan skin, and impossibly blue eyes. And that was just what Dean could see from farther away.

Those impossibly blue eyes narrowed and stared him down with an intent gaze.

“I’m not wearing anyone,” Castiel replied, giving Dean the same once over Dean had given him. Light brown hair, tan skin, red flannel and black shirt, jeans and bowlegs. Cas had to admit he wasn’t all too bad looking. His eyes were green and they sparkled in a way that Cas wasn’t sure he had seen before.

“My vessel is Jimmy Novak. He’s a devout young man and he was kind enough to let me in,” Castiel went on to explain. Dean hummed and nodded.

“Well, I’m glad he did,” Dean replied with that same smirk. Cas’ eyes just narrowed even more, and Dean’s smirk grew.

“Dean, be polite,” Crowley said, looking between Dean and Cas. 

“I’m just being kind,” Dean argued, raising his hands up in mock surrender. Crowley rolled his eyes.

“Dean, this is Castiel,” Crowley introduced.

“And Castiel, this is Dean,” Michael countered.

There was an awkward pause before Dean stepped forwards and smiled, holding out a hand to Cas. Cas glanced down at it, then up at Dean.

“I don’t bite,” Dean told Cas smoothly with a raised eyebrow. Cas gave him a dubious look and held out his hand, shaking Dean’s. 

“It’s nice to meet you,” Cas began, then paused. “Dean,” he added on. The name felt almost odd on his tongue.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Castiel,” Dean replied, letting his hand fall back to his side. “So where to now, what’s the deal?” Dean questioned, looking between Michael and Crowley.

“There’s a cabin about a half a mile north from here,” Michael began, pointing in that direction. “You two will stay there for the next month.”

“You’ve got another month of a grace period if things don’t move along quickly enough,” Crowley then provided.

“But the contract needs to be signed before the first of January, when the new year begins,” Michael added.

“So, ultimately, you have two months, but things should move a little more quickly,” Crowley said, glancing between Dean and Cas. Cas glanced over at Dean, who nodded.

“Sounds doable,” Dean said, giving a little glance over at Cas that made Cas’ stomach flip.

“Good,” Crowley said with a nod. “We’ll leave you two to it then.”

And with that, Crowley was out, and before Castiel could turn to Michael, Michael was gone, and Castiel was left feeling not only nervous, not only lonely, but deflated and a little frustrated.

“Well,” Dean sighed, turning to Cas. “I guess we should get walking,” he went on. 

“We could save the walking and just transport,” Cas suggested. Dean grinned.

“Yeah, but if we walk we can get to know each other a little,” Dean told Cas, voice smooth. 

“Okay…” Cas replied cautiously, watching Dean as he began to head north.

“Crowley never really told me anything about you,” Dean told Cas as the two began to walk side by side.

“Michael never told me much about you either,” Castiel added on, glancing over at Dean.

“Well, what do you want to know?” Dean questioned, turning to Cas with a bright smile that did funny things to Cas’ stomach. Cas quickly looked away and back towards the ground.

“What’s your job in Hell? What kind of demon are you?” Castiel questioned. 

“Aw, c’mon, you don’t want to know about my personality traits? My favorite color, favorite food, what my ideal Sunday evening is?” Dean teased. Castiel looked up and over at him with a half hearted glare. Dean just shook his head and huffed a breath of laughter.

“I’m a Knight of Hell and I do what I want usually. Crowley sometimes drops some deals or deeds into my lap and I carry them out. Or not. Sometimes not. Crowley bores me sometimes,” Dean sighed.

“Crowley runs Hell though,” Castiel pointed out, looking up at Dean. Dean just shrugged.

“So?”

“So, you sometimes just don’t take orders from him?” 

“Sometimes,” Dean shrugged.

“So, you’re a big bad demon that has his own rules is what you’re saying?” Cas provided with a raised eyebrow. That earned a glare from Dean.

“So, I assume you value order and power then? Always do what Michael asks?” Dean inquired. 

“Michael runs Heaven, of course I do what his asks,” Cas sniffed, looking away from Dean.

“What a sweet little omega angel you are,” Dean cooed with a smirk that made anger bubble inside of Cas.

“I’m not a sweet little omega angel. I’m an Angel of the Lord,” Castiel argued.

“I thought “the Lord” fled years ago,” Dean said. Castiel grit his teeth.

“He’s out there somewhere, but in his absence Michael will take care of us all,” Castiel told Dean.

“Daddy’s favorite taking over, huh?” Dean teased, and Dean could feel Cas getting more and more riled up next to him.

“Michael is the most powerful angel we have, of course he’ll be the one in charge,” Castiel informed Dean, his tone cold. “I see Lucifer isn’t there to reign over your siege,” Castiel continued on. Dean snorted.

“Like any of us need him. Crowley is enough of a pain in the ass, can you imagine Lucifer downstairs trying to take control?” Dean questioned.

“I’m sure he’d at least put you in your place,” Cas grumbled under his breath. “It’s probably well deserved,” Cas went on. 

“Excuse me?” Dean questioned.

“You’re too cocky for your own good. It’ll land you somewhere bad,” Castiel told Dean almost matter of factly, something that Dean did not like at all.

“Cas, you’re not exactly getting on my good side,” Dean huffed. 

“Well, you’re not getting on mine either,” Cas shot back.

There was a silence, save the crunching of leaves under Dean and Cas’ feet, before Dean sighed.

“Cas, sweetheart,” Dean began.

“Don’t call me sweetheart,” Cas snapped, and Dean raised his hands up again.

“Cas, I hate to break it to you, but we need this to work, okay, so maybe bear with me a little?” Dean offered.

“I’ll bear with you when you stop being so arrogant,” Cas sniffed.

“Arrogant?” Dean echoed. “Me?”

“We’re in the middle of the woods and you’re the only person around, who do you think I’m calling arrogant?” Cas snarked back.

“Well, maybe you’re calling me arrogant, but I’m not so sure I’m the one in this duo who’s so arrogant,” Dean shot back.

“Oh, you think I’m the arrogant one?” Castiel questioned, looking over at Dean who was obviously also somewhat riled up.

“Well, I think it’s at least a little rich that you’re the one calling me cocky and arrogant when you’re obviously pretty stuck up,” Dean argued.

“Stuck up? You think I’m stuck up?” Cas questioned, looking over at Dean.

“I think you’re hypocritical is what I think,” Dean replied with a light laugh that had Cas’ eyes flashing with anger. Dean caught it before Cas turned away, and Dean sighed, let another silence drape itself over them for a moment.

“Cas, listen, I don’t know anything about you, you don’t know anything about me, why don’t we start all over and get on each other’s good sides, okay?” Dean offered. Cas looked over at him with another half hearted glare. “Hey, you asked me what I do down in Hell and I told you, so why don’t you tell me what you do up in Heaven?” Dean went on, the edge to his voice slowly fading. Cas took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh.

“I’m a strategist for the most part. I sit in on a lot of meetings and run a few others for lower ranking angels. I have a lot of free time though, Heaven can be dull,” Cas sighed.

“So, what do you do in your free time?” Dean questioned. Cas glanced over at him almost cautiously, worried that his answer might gain a bad reaction from Dean.

“I sit in the gardens usually. The archangels, my older brothers, they tease me for it sometimes, but there’s not much else to do in Heaven if I don’t have orders for a meeting or a mission either up there or here on Earth,” Cas explained. Dean nodded.

“That sounds nice,” he agreed, and Cas’ cautious look softened.

“What do you do in your free time?” Castiel questioned softly.

“Drink,” Dean replied, earning a displeased look from Cas. Dean grinned at him, that grin that made Cas’ insides flop, and Dean laughed sweetly.

“I’m only half kidding. Yeah, I go out to bars and shit but other than that, it’s not like there’s a ton of stuff to do, and it’s not like I have any major hobbies,” Dean explained.

“Does Hell get boring too?” Cas inquired.

“Yeah,” Dean sighed with a little nod.

“Even as a Knight of Hell?” Cas teased with a small smile. Dean looked down at him and grinned.

“Even as a Knight of Hell.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tell me whatcha thought friend!! will they hate each other?? will they fall in love faster than ever?? what arguments will ensue and what will be the product of them???
> 
> tune in next week to find out!!!
> 
> (also huge thanks for reading and psa that i love all of you <3)


	3. Conflicts Begin Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas and Dean get to learn a little more about each other; and they also get to learn that bickering is something that comes easy to both of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> monday!! again!! whadayaknow.
> 
> anyways i apologize in advance, i just read over this chapter and though it is like 2k words it's just not... substantial??? so yeah, sorry for stringing ya'll along making things go slow, the next chapter is a little longer and has a little more content so yeah, stay tuned for that ordeal!!
> 
> read away my guys!!

It didn’t take much longer for Dean and Cas to get to the cabin. It was a nice, sweet little cabin in a small clearing. It was quaint, but it was big enough and surprisingly nice inside. Both Dean and Cas had suspected it would be dusty from not being in use for so long, but it was seemingly good as new, appearing to have just been cleaned.

“So, this is where they throw the alphas and omegas every hundred years?” Dean questioned as he walked around the living area where there was a nice couch with a folded blanket over it, and despite the rustic feel of the cabin, a TV sat in front of it.

“Don’t say it like that,” Cas said as he entered the living room having come in from the kitchen.

“How do you want me to say it?” Dean snorted, picking up the remote to the television.

“Maybe you could say nothing at all,” Cas suggested as he walked behind the couch. Dean turned and looked at him with a fake smile.

“My apologies. I’ll shut up,” he replied, gaining an eye roll from Cas.

“You know, as much as I hate to admit it, you were right,” Cas began.

“Oh, can I get that on a tape?” Dean mumbled under his breath, yet still loud enough for Cas to hear.

“We should get to know each other more,” Cas offered. “We have a month to nest and court and we should value our time.”

“Ugh,” Dean groaned, flopping down on the couch. “Don’t talk all technical like that. No one says “court” anymore,” Dean went on, flipping through the channels.

“Well, what would you like me to say?” Cas questioned with a sigh, leaning on the back of the couch.

“Maybe you could say nothing at all,” Dean replied with a grin, repeating Cas’ words from earlier. Cas shot him a displeased glare and Dean just grinned more.

“I’m serious, Dean,” Cas went on, and Dean simply turned back to the TV.

“Alright, well, what do you want to know?” Dean questioned.

“What do you want me to know?” Cas shot back. Dean paused, then grinned.

“Well, I’d like you to know that I’m not a total asshole,” Dean said, turning to catch Cas’ gaze. Cas raised an eyebrow.

“I think that’s something you have to prove,” Cas replied simply. Dean took a sharp intake of breath.

“Ouch,” Dean sighed, shaking his head. “Throw a guy under the bus why don’t you,” Dean then mumbled, turning back to the TV. Cas huffed an impatient breath.

“Okay, if you’re not forthcoming about any of your information, they why don’t you ask me for some. Tell me what you want to know about me and I’ll tell you,” Castiel told Dean, crossing his arms. Dean hummed, didn’t take his eyes off the television. There were lots of things Dean wanted to know about Cas, but Dean had a feeling he wouldn’t figure it all out just by asking questions.

“Alright, loaded question,” Dean began, propping his feet up on the coffee table in front of him. “What was your reaction when you heard you were being thrown into this bonding thing?” Dean inquired, muting the TV and looking over at Cas who looked a little surprised. His gaze darted from Dean to the floor as he let out a sigh.

“I… I didn’t even know what it was at first,” Castiel admitted, something that made Dean heart pang a little. Dean didn’t know about the contract at first either, but at least Dean was more… confident. Castiel was an omega angel, and he was fairly innocent from what Dean had picked up so far.

“My brother Gabriel, he’s one of the archangels, he told me the basis of it. It was later on that I heard him and Michael arguing about it. It was then that Michael told me about the details of the contract and that he told me that I was the one he was sending to Earth,” Castiel explained, pausing, glancing up at Dean.

“So, what did you think then?” Dean questioned.

“I, well, I didn’t complain, and I didn’t ask questions. Michael, he’s strict, he’s a leader, his orders don’t waver. I knew, ultimately, I didn’t have a choice. Gabriel argued with him, tried to get me out of it, but Michael only ignored him,” Cas continued on. A silence fell between them before Cas spoke again. “What was your reaction?” he asked Dean. Dean snorted and shook his head.

“I thought it was all bullshit. I thought Crowley was joking around with me, but after awhile I could tell that he was serious about this. And then, y’know, I still thought it was bullshit, but I realized that it was bullshit I was gonna have to get involved with,” Dean told Cas who smirked a little.

“I thought you play by your own rules though. Why didn’t you just tell Crowley no?” Cas questioned. Dean sighed and shrugged, relaxing back into the couch.

“This was one of those things that I knew we’d fight about. It was something that I knew was important to Heaven and Hell and I figured why not, no use in bitching about it if I was the one who was supposed to carry out the bond,” Dean went on.

“Seems like it’s not a big deal to you,” Cas grumbled, looking away from Dean. Dean huffed a breath of laughter.

“Cas, trust me, this is a big deal to me. I’m gonna be mated to an omega angel after this and I’ll probably be treated differently when I go back to Hell,” Dean sighed. 

“So,” Cas began cautiously, looking anywhere but Dean. “You’re planning on going back to Hell after this?” he questioned.

“Yeah, that was my plan,” Dean replied, glancing over at him. “Why? Weren’t you gonna go back to Heaven?”

“Well, yeah,” Cas began, scratching the back of his neck. “But, I mean, thinking more about it… we’ll be mated, y’know, tied together and everything. And usually, y’know, the alpha and the omega continue to live together after mating.”

Dean took a second to brush off more of Cas’ technical terms that he hated, and thought for a second. He straightened up and looked more intently at Castiel.

“Well, Cas, don’t get me wrong, but you don’t seem to necessarily even _like_ me right now, so I don’t know why you’d want me to continue living with you and providing for you after we mate,” Dean offered.

“I’m not saying that I would _want_ to, I’m just saying that it might be the most appropriate thing to do,” Castiel offered.

“Cas, you’re getting way ahead of yourself here,” Dean said, shaking his head.

“Well, you have to admit we have to have some sort of _plan_ ,” Cas replied, tone hardening.

“No, we really don’t,” Dean argued. 

“If you want this to work out then, yes, we really do,” Cas shot back. Dean sighed and rubbed a hand across his forehead.

“Cas, we have a whole month, then an extra one in case things go south. We have time, and in our case, pardon me if I’m wrong, that’s what we need. I barely know you and as much as I want this stupid fucking contract to be over with, I’m not pinning you down and mating with you after having just met you,” Dean told Cas who firmed his jaw. “Now, if you can stop bickering, maybe we can get things started and-”

“So, you’re implying that I’m the one causing the bickering here?” Castiel questioned indignantly. Dean sighed and shook his head.

“Jesus Christ,” Dean murmured under his breath.

“Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain,” Cas snapped immediately. Dean looked up at him and gaped for a solid second before taking a deep breath.

“Okay. Alright. Bickering, not your fault, both our faults, see? I’m blaming this on both of us,” Dean said, gesturing between him and Cas. “Now, let’s collect ourselves, keep quiet, and why don’t I take you somewhere nice tomorrow for breakfast, okay? Or even dinner!” Dean exclaimed, completely faking a cheerful tone. “That way, we can’t argue and judge each other in public, we can sit and have a nice meal and learn things about each other,” Dean suggested. “Now, why don’t we take the rest of the day to ourselves, okay? You make yourself at home here, I do the same, and we keep our distance while we adjust to having to live here for the next month or so,” Dean offered. Cas pursed his lips and thought over Dean’s words, ultimately nodding.

“Fine.”

\---

The rest of the day went well, and Dean and Castiel stayed separate from each other. The cabin was big enough for them to wander around on their own and not bump into each other too often. Dean mostly watched TV, raided the cabinets underneath it to see what movies the cabin supplied. Castiel wandered the rooms, looked in the kitchen cabinets and checked what food they had. They stayed in their respective corners, and everything was going well, even as night fell. Things eventually came to a head, however.

Neither Cas nor Dean really needed sleep, but still, sometimes it was preferable after a long day. And it had been a long day.

Naturally, Cas had found the bedroom, a beautiful room with high, wooden ceilings and a master bed that was big enough to fit at least three people. Cas was figuring he would try it, take a night’s rest to make up for all the stress he was feeling. Though, there was a record scratch when Cas realized that there was one bed - only one bed. And Dean might want to sleep too.

“Dean,” Cas began, walking into the living room where Dean was slouched down on the couch, watching a movie he had found in a cabinet under the TV.

“Hm,” Dean simply hummed, not taking his eyes off the TV.

“There’s one bed.”

A pause.

“Okay,” Dean replied slowly, still not looking over at Cas, something that irritated him on some level.

“Only one bed.”

Another pause.

“Okay,” Dean replied slowly once more. 

One last pause before Dean finally relented and looked over at Cas. He sighed and sat up from where he had been slumped into the couch.

“What do you expect, we’re supposed to be having sex, they wouldn’t just throw a spare bedroom in here,” Dean said, and Cas opened his mouth, then closed it, looking away from Dean. “I thought angels didn’t need sleep,” Dean went on. 

“I’m tired,” Cas simply replied, and it showed in his voice, Dean could hear it. A pang of sympathy ran through him.

“Then sleep,” Dean told Cas softly. Cas’ gaze flicked up to Dean.

“Don’t you want to sleep too?”

“Demons don’t need sleep either,” Dean said. Cas cocked his head just slightly.

“You must be tired too though,” Cas replied simply, voice quieted. Dean swallowed.

“A little,” he admitted with a sigh. He had to admit that he wasn’t all bubbly energy; it had been a long day and bickering with Cas hadn’t helped it.

“Do you want the bed then?” Cas questioned.

Dean blinked.

“Why would I take the bed?”

“Because you want to sleep.”

Dean had to take a second to gather up what Cas was implying, and when it hit him, he sighed.

“Don’t want to make a domestic scene of me coming to bed with you?” Dean questioned, and if he wasn’t mistaken he saw a slight blush creep onto Cas’ cheeks. “Cas, if you don’t want to share a bed, that’s fine, and I’ll respect that. And if we don’t share a bed, at least take the bed. I can sleep on the couch, it’s totally fine with me,” Dean assured Cas whose brows furrowed.

“But… I mean, we’re supposed to be mated by the end of at least December,” Cas began.

“Which is plenty of time for us to get comfortable with each other. And if, right now, you’re not comfortable sleeping in the same bed as some asshole demon you just met, then that’s cool,” Dean told Cas with a little smile.

Cas took in the words, and a little bit of warmth crept into him. Cas wasn’t so sure how he felt about Dean, not yet at least. He knew that him and Dean obviously had conflicting personalities, and bickering was something that came naturally. And maybe Dean was some asshole demon that Cas would have to mate with; or maybe Dean wasn’t all so bad and he had a good side to him. Maybe that was it.

“If you say so,” Cas replied quietly with a smile he couldn’t help. Dean smiled back and nodded as Cas turned his back to head back to the bedroom.

“Night, Cas,” Dean called after him.

“Goodnight, Dean,” Cas called back with that same warmth rolling around in his stomach, making him wonder if the next few months would be all that bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cool cool, so what do ya'll think? enjoyable? bad? got any predictions? will these assholes ever stop fighting? keep reading to find out!!! as always, another update will come in next monday <3


	4. Proving Points

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas bicker more. Dean introduces Cas to diner food. More getting to know each other questions are asked. And somehow, none of it is all that bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm back!!! as i've told you guys like a million times probably on tumblr especially (i'm over at ughcas hmu) my computer was at best buy getting fixed for a virus so i couldn't update :(( but here's me making it up to you and giving you chapter four!!!

The next morning, Cas woke up a little after dawn. He panicked for a split second when he hit consciousness, but then he remembered where he was, he remembered his situation, and he remembered that there was a demon he was supposed to mate with passed out on the couch. 

So, naturally, his day wasn’t off to a great start to begin with.

Still, he rolled out of bed, not bothering making it, not bothering changing out of the pajamas he had luckily found in one of the bedroom’s closets (there were some other clothes in there and Cas suspected that whoever oversaw the little vacation him and Dean were taking was thoughtful enough to provide them with extra wardrobe). He wandered into the living room where, sure enough, Dean was splayed out over the couch, snoring, with the TV still on.

Cas could only roll his eyes.

Cas went and grabbed the remote that had been on Dean’s chest and shut off the TV before tossing the remote back in the general direction of Dean.

“Dean, wake up,” Cas mumbled, his voice still rough with sleep. There was a pause wherein Dean just kept on snoring, and Cas sighed. “Dean,” Cas repeated, his voice louder. Dean seemingly stirred, but didn’t wake up. Cas scoffed, then looked at his feet that were propped up on the arm of the couch, his boots still on, something that Cas disapproved of highly because sure, it wasn’t their place, but Dean could at least have some decency to not stain the couch.

Cas huffed impatiently and kicked Dean’s feet off the couch; but sadly, not only did they fall off, but then his legs fell off, and once his legs fell off, well, the rest of him fell off.

Dean hit the floor with a resounding thud and some mumbled curses Cas wasn’t sure he had even heard before. Cas’ eyes widened, and he simply gaped down at Dean who groaned, rolled over, and looked up at Cas with the most furious look someone could have that early in the morning.

“What the _fuck_?” Dean exclaimed, sitting up, still looking at Cas incredulously.

“Dean, I’m so sorry, your feet were on the couch and I pushed them off, I didn’t mean to push you off,” Cas said hurriedly.

“Great fucking way to wake a guy up,” Dean grumbled so low it was almost a growl as he sat up a little more.

“Dean, I swear I didn’t-”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, Cas,” Dean sighed, slowly standing up with a slight wince. He groaned and then looked over at Cas, quirking an eyebrow. “Wardrobe change?” he questioned simply, eyeing the plaid pajama bottoms and the loose fitting t-shirt Cas was wearing. Cas glanced down and over himself and shrugged.

“They were in the closet,” Cas replied simply. 

“Huh. Weird,” Dean mumbled, walking past Cas and towards the kitchen. “You look cute in them,” Dean then called over his shoulder. 

“You’re pushing it, Dean,” Cas called back, obviously displeased as he followed Dean into the kitchen.

“Sorry, darlin’,” Dean called back, turning his head to give Cas the most insufferable smirk. Cas opened his mouth, then closed it, figuring that arguing with Dean early in the morning wasn’t something that was much desired. Or desired at all.

“Is there coffee in here?” Dean questioned, opening and closing all different cabinets.

“I thought you were taking us out to breakfast,” Cas said, raising an eyebrow. Dean groaned.

“Ah, I did say that, didn’t I?” Dean sighed, closing a cabinet and turning to lean his back against the counter. “Alright then, why don’t you get dressed and I’ll take us out to a nice little diner over in Vermont,” Dean offered. Cas squinted, eyed Dean as though he wasn’t telling the truth, but ultimately turned and headed back to the bedroom, Dean smiling sweetly at him the whole way.

\---

Cas had to admit that the diner Dean brought them to was nice. It was pretty much a classic diner with a charming sort of feel to it. Dean and Cas sat in a nice little booth with a big window that offered a view to the busy street outside. Dean ordered half the breakfast menu and Cas only ordered a coffee, something that Dean didn’t stand for for long.

“Cas, c’mon, eat something,” Dean finally said after awhile of Cas holding his mug of coffee between his hands, watching Dean eat with an unnerving amount of intent that, on some small level, freaked Dean out.

“Everything you’re eating right now is grease, Dean,” Cas pointed out, glancing between Dean and his plate. Dean rolled his eyes.

“That’s what makes it good,” he told Cas who squinted and for some reason Dean was finding that squint to be, well, kind of cute. “Come on, Cas, just humor me,” Dean went on, pushing his plate towards Cas who just raised a dubious eyebrow. “Try the bacon, it’s good, it’s some of the best bacon I’ve gotten at a diner,” Dean insisted, nodding to his plate. Cas looked up at him with that same dubious look, and Dean only gave him an encouraging nod. Cas sighed, shook his head, and picked up a piece of bacon, eyeing it before taking a tentative bite.

Dean watched him carefully as he face shifted from a range of emotions, possibly slight disgust but then some curiosity, then ultimately a somewhat pleased look.

“Well?” Dean questioned, smiling when Cas went to take another bite.

“‘S good,” Cas mumbled through half a mouthful. Dean smiled even more, pushed his plate closer to Cas.

“Have the rest of it,” Dean insisted, sitting back in his seat.

“Are you sure?” Cas questioned, glancing up at Dean. Dean nodded.

“It’s good for you.”

“It’s actually really not, it’s the opposite of health at its finest,” Cas mumbled as he took Dean’s fork.

“Yeah, well, it tastes good and that’s what matters,” Dean argued. Cas rolled his eyes but didn’t protest, only continued to eat.

Dean and Cas didn’t talk much as Cas finished off Dean’s plate. Once he was done, he slid it back over to Dean who sighed.

“Alright, breakfast is done, what’s next?” Dean questioned. Cas shrugged and took another sip of his coffee. “Well, give me something, Cas. We’re stuck together for the next month or so, we’ve gotta do something to pass the time,” Dean told Cas who gave him an unamused look.

“We still don’t know a lot about each other,” Cas murmured, setting down his mug. “I’d like to get to know you,” Cas went on, sounding almost shy as he glanced up at Dean from under his lashes, a look that made Dean’s stomach flip in the most pleasant way.

“Well, we’ve tried to get to know each other already a few times, all resulting in fighting, so maybe we can find a way to get to know each other without all that nasty bickering,” Dean replied, quirking a grin. Cas hid a smile as he took another sip of his coffee with a nod.

“We’re in public, I’m above getting in an argument with you in the morning in the middle of a Vermont diner and I’m sure you are too, so now might be a good time to ask questions,” Cas suggested.

“Alright, ask me some questions then,” Dean said simply, crossing his arms over his chest. Cas chewed on his lip and thought for a moment before speaking.

“You asked me about my vessel, Jimmy, but what about yours?” Cas questioned.

“What about him?” Dean asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, I mean, aren’t you one of those demons that hops from vessel to vessel?” Cas questioned.

“Well, it’s kind of a long story,” Dean sighed. Cas raised an eyebrow.

“Long story?” he repeated.

“For another time,” Dean quickly added, giving Cas a knowing glance. “I’m not a vessel hopper, I’m not possessing anyone. Dean,” Dean began, using air quotes before pointing at himself. “Was a regular guy. Got turned into a demon, i.e. me now, and that’s that. I don’t need to possess anyone, I’m the owner of my current vessel. Make sense?” Dean questioned. Cas nodded slowly.

“I suppose,” he replied almost cautiously. “But I’m intrigued as to how you seemingly got turned into a demon. That doesn’t sound normal,” Cas mumbled into his cup of coffee as he took another sip.

“Yeah, it’s not really normal,” Dean sighed. “But nothing is exactly normal when you’re dealing with demons and angels.”

“A good point,” Cas agreed with a nod. 

“How often do you hang around people down here anyways?” Dean questioned. Cas sighed and shrugged.

“Not often. I usually don’t come here unless I’m sent here with orders from a higher up,” Castiel told Dean.

“What, you don’t like it down here?” Dean questioned with a little smile. Cas hid another smile once more, glancing down at the table before glancing back up at Dean.

“Well, no, I mean, I do like it on some level. But on another level, humans are difficult, they’re complicated, and it doesn’t make sense for me to hang down around here if there are things to be done up in Heaven. On top of that, Michael usually doesn’t allow angels down on Earth unless they’re there for a mission, and, well, he doesn’t send me on too many missions down here,” Cas trailed off, mumbling.

“Why not?” Dean questioned, sounding almost sympathetic. 

“I’m not in the higher ranking of angels, I’m more in the middle. I’m not low ranking, but, well, sometimes people act like I am. Angels can be brutal, really, as much as I hate to admit it. I love my brothers and sisters, but sometimes it’s not always reciprocated. And the archangels, they’re usually on a different level from everyone else. My brother Gabriel, he’s an archangel, and he can be annoying sometimes but ultimately, he’s kind and he cares for me. He’s the one who tried to get me out of this bond in the first place,” Castiel went on, throwing his gaze up to see if Dean was still listening. Sure enough, he was, and he gave a little nod as if to prompt Cas to go on.

“Meanwhile, Raphael, he’s an archangel too, he doesn’t like me at all. He doubts all my abilities, and he always acts as though he’s above any quarrels that would come up between us whether they be his fault or mine. So, that just goes to show you the difference between archangels, just if you’re comparing Raphael to Gabriel. And all the other angels can be the same,” Cas finished off, looking up at Dean who had a little smile on his face.

“Sounds like Heaven isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” Dean mused. Cas just huffed a breath of laughter.

“It’s not,” he sighed, the sudden force of that statement hitting home. Heaven really wasn’t what it seemed, and to top it all off, Cas had just gotten kicked out by Michael. Cas frowned, and Dean leaned forwards.

“But hey,” Dean began, smiling over at Cas. “You’re down here for awhile, you don’t have to deal with all those winged assholes upstairs.”

Cas snorted, but ultimately nodded and smiled softly.

“Yeah, you kind of have a point,” he sighed, relaxing back into his seat a little. “Is Hell all it’s cracked up to be?” Cas then questioned with a small smile. Dean laughed a little at that, uncrossing his arms and leaning forwards.

“Hell is a mixed bag. Demons play tricks on you, they want what’s best for them, they can be whiny piss babies,” Dean began, and Cas snorted.

“You’re saying this as a demon yourself, y’know,” Cas told Dean with an arched eyebrow. Dean opened his mouth, closed it, then shrugged.

“Listen, I told you before, I’m not a total asshole but, y’know, demons are demons, they get their name for a reason. But not all demons are terrible, you just have to find the right one; which, I happen to be one of those just as an fyi,” Dean then added on with one of the most obnoxious smiles Cas had seen. Cas rolled his eyes, picking up his coffee once more.

“If you say so,” he murmured into his coffee. Dean gave him an unamused look but Cas just waved a hand. “Continue,” he sighed.

“Crowley and I get along well, though, so that’s good,” Dean told Cas.

“Isn’t Crowley like a giant dick?” Cas questioned, setting down his coffee. Dean laughed lightly at that, and Cas smiled a little at the sound. Dean had a nice laugh. And Cas never really heard all too much laughter in Heaven to begin with.

“Yeah, but we still get along, so it’s par for the course,” Dean sighed.

“Takes one to know one I guess,” Cas murmured, mostly to himself, but Dean caught it and raised an eyebrow.

“What was that, Cas?” Dean questioned, faking a sweet tone.

“Nothing, Dean,” Cas replied just as sweetly. Dean and Cas stared each other down for a moment and something strung itself out between them. Some sort of tension.

Cas broke it though, looking away from Dean and out the window.

“So, how many unspoken and immoral actions do you carry out down in Hell?” Castiel questioned, earning another laugh from Dean.

“I’m not a terrible person, Cas, I don’t wreak havoc in Hell and go on scheduled murder sprees,” Dean replied teasingly. Cas rolled his eyes.

“Oh, that’s so consoling to hear, Dean,” Cas snarked back. Then, it was Dean’s turn to roll his eyes.

“I’m a good guy, Cas, and I’ll prove that to you in the next month or so,” Dean insisted, and Cas looked over at Dean. Dean had a surprisingly kind look on his face, and part of Cas wanted to melt a little. Just a little.

“If you say so.”

\---

Dean and Cas left the diner after some more small talk. They got to know some things about each other, like the fact that Dean’s favorite food was pie and Cas’ was cheeseburgers. Cas was really passionate about nature and Dean was passionate about his car. Cas liked gardening and cloud watching, Dean liked driving on long highways and looking at stars at night. With each fact about themselves, a fact was was matched by the other, and soon enough, the small things were being known.

The two of them were tentative at first, and there was an unspoken tension, the knowledge that they didn’t know everything about each other, they didn’t have each other’s backstories, but still, they had to mate by the end of December. It was almost as if backstories would make things worse, as if maybe the deeper parts of them would soil whatever spark had come naturally between them. 

Though the arguments between them were staved off for most of the day after they had gone to the diner, at the end of the day, the bickering began once more. 

“Take the bed tonight,” Cas said simply as he wandered into the living room, already in his pajamas, looking over at Dean who was once more spread out over the couch. 

“What, you don’t want to push me off the couch again tomorrow morning as my wake up call?” Dean questioned, looking over at Cas with a sparkling smile. Cas rolled his eyes. 

“I want you to sleep in the bed because I slept in it last night. It’s only fair I get the couch tonight,” Cas explained. 

Dean couldn’t argue that that was sound and fair logic; but he also couldn’t argue that he wanted Cas to be as comfortable as he could. It was obvious he hadn’t gotten on Cas’ good side to begin with, and it was also obvious that he would eventually need to get on Cas’ good side for things to work out between them. 

“Cas, you don’t have to take the couch, it’s fine if you take the bed,” Dean offered. 

“Well, that wouldn’t be exactly _fair_ ,” Cas replied in a warning tone that Dean didn’t really want to mess with. But, Dean was stubborn on most issues, and the issue at hand was no excuse. 

“Doesn’t matter,” Dean countered with a shrug. 

There was a pause, some sort of tension in the air. An exasperated sigh from Cas. 

“Dean.”

“Cas.”

A glare from Cas, a sigh from Dean. 

“Cas, please.”

“You don’t have to be so stubborn, Dean,” Cas said. Dean sat up and took a breath. 

“I’m trying to do something nice, okay?”

“It’s not working very well,” Cas replied in a matter of fact tone that really irritated Dean. 

“I refuse to sleep in the bed,” Dean said flat out because he was stubborn and getting more and more annoyed each passing second and he was already really done with this whole conversation. 

Cas glared at Dean with that little squint of his that Dean had grown a little too fond of already, and Dean just looked back, blinking. 

“You’re absolutely infuriating,” Cas finally said, tone flat with an underlying annoyance to it. Dean just grinned and nodded. 

“I sure am. Now get some sleep. I’ll take you out for dinner tomorrow,” Dean told Cas who continued to linger for a moment, watching Dean carefully as though he was holding something back. Finally, however, he sighed, turned, and headed off to bed grumbling a ‘Goodnight, Dean,’ as he went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, what do you think?? is the bickering getting worse or better?? will getting to know each other help or hurt??? when will they be fully able to trust each other??? next monday, you'll get a closer look, and possibly some answers <3


	5. Baby Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even though it's through baby steps, Cas and Dean grow closer to one another, finding comfort in each other in a way they didn't expect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhHHHH i forgot to update yesterday T-T i know i updated on saturday and then i remember telling myself that i would update again on monday and then i forgot to set a reminder on my phone so i FORGOT but anyways. it's tuesday, which is thankfully not so far away from monday. this chapter may give you a little solace. hopefully.

The next morning Cas woke up to the smell of something good; something really good. 

He slid out of bed and noticed the time, 9:45 the clock said. He huffed a frustrated breath, rubbing at his eyes, wondering why he had woken up so late compared to the day before.

He didn’t ponder the issue for too long, however, simply sniffed the air a little more and went to follow the smell that was apparently coming from the kitchen. When Cas reached the kitchen, he was met with the sight of Dean at the stove with a stack of pancakes next to him that, Cas came to the conclusion, he had made himself. Cas was about to open his mouth, ask a few questions like how did Dean find the ingredients to make pancakes, why was he up before Cas, and why he was making pancakes to begin with, but Dean turned around and threw him another one of those dazzling smiles that made Cas’ stomach tumble before Cas could even speak.

“Morning, sunshine. Want some coffee?” Dean questioned, voice upbeat. Cas just squinted at him.

“You made coffee.”

It was half a statement, half a question.

“I did,” Dean replied with a nod.

“Why?”

“Because I know you like coffee,” Dean replied simply, looking down and flipping over another pancake that was in the pan in front of him. “And I figured you’d probably want something to go with the coffee, so I made pancakes,” Dean then added on. Cas stepped cautiously into the kitchen and carefully accepted the mug of steaming coffee Dean pushed his way on the counter.

“I didn’t know you cooked,” Cas mumbled, taking a sip from it, warming his hands on the ceramic of the mug.

“I only cook for people I like,” Dean said, throwing a suggestive glance at Cas who just rolled his eyes. “Don’t roll your eyes. I slaved over these pancakes, Cas, all for you,” Dean teased, sliding the plate of pancakes Cas’ way.

“You hardly slaved away at them, Dean,” Cas argued, looking around the kitchen for a plate.

“I woke up at the crack of dawn, dragged myself off the couch, and had to gather all the ingredients, heat the pan, make sure they didn’t burn. Cas, I put _work_ into these pancakes, I labored over these,” Dean explained, obviously completely over dramatic. Cas rolled his eyes again, but this time it was more out of fondness than anything else. And, on top of that, the slightest bit of a smile crept its way onto Cas’ lips.

Dean was very quick to notice.

“Is that a _smile_ I see, Cas?” Dean questioned, turning off the stove and placing the pan on one of the cooled off burners. “Are you actually _smiling_?” Dean went on. 

“You’re obnoxious,” Cas mumbled as he took a few pancakes and placed them onto his plate, valiantly attempting to tamp down his smile.

“I’m hardly _obnoxious_ if I’m making you smile,” Dean argued, crossing his arms over his chest. Cas simply shook his head, now in search of silverware.

“No, you can multitask,” Cas told Dean, finally finding a fork in one of the drawers by the stove.

“Well, I find that hard to believe,” Dean argued, following Cas as he headed to the kitchen table. 

“You believe whatever you like, Dean,” Cas sighed as he sat down at the table. Dean opened his mouth but before he could speak Cas looked over at him and spoke. “Thank you,” he said simply. “For the pancakes,” he added on before looking back down at his plate. Cas caught Dean smiling out of the corner of his eye.

“You’re welcome for the pancakes,” Dean replied, sliding into a seat across the table from Cas. “I’d like to take you out for dinner tonight too, if you’d like,” Dean offered, and Cas paused mid bite of pancake to raise an eyebrow.

“You make me pancakes for breakfast and now you want to take me out for dinner?” Cas questioned. Dean sat back with a nod and a smile.

“Cas, I’m a gentleman, and my job is to woo you.”

“Woo me?” Cas echoed.

“In a sense, yes,” Dean replied.

“That’s not exactly the point of what we’re supposed to be doing here,” Cas grumbled, glancing back down to his plate and taking a bite of pancake.

“Doesn’t matter,” Dean replied with a shrug. “Cas, I’m not gonna do anything until you’re comfortable with me,” Dean began, looking intently at Cas who had a mouthful of pancake. “I’m telling you, Cas, I’m not a bad guy. And I want you to trust me,” Dean went on. “And if earning your trust means taking you out to dinner and lunch everyday and making you pancakes and sleeping on the couch, then so be it.”

Cas blinked over at Dean and swallowed his bite of pancake.

“Really?” Cas asked almost softly. Dean nodded.

“Really.”

\---

That night Dean took Cas out to a diner and Cas rolled his eyes but said nothing because Dean was convincing and in no time had Cas convinced that diner food was the best food. So, the next morning they went out for breakfast to another diner Dean knew in Maine and Dean told Cas what to order and they bickered, momentarily, just because they could, because being completely content in each other’s company was still something foreign.

The bickering faded, however, and the fights were no longer big or tiring, they were only little quarrels here and there. Cas’ resolve for initially being against Dean began to fade over the next few days as Dean took the couch at night with no complaints, cooked breakfast or brought them out to eat. He let Cas pick movies and then, one day he even brought Cas to a field to cloud watch and Cas felt that aversion to Dean begin to fade with every stupid joke Dean made and every time he poked fun at Cas for smiling.

It was almost a week into them staying together that Cas came into the living room late at night, his stomach fluttering as he looked over at Dean, on the couch, as per usual, and said,

“You should come to bed.”

Dean paused, shook his head.

“Cas, I told you, I’m not taking the bed,” Dean replied, not understanding what Cas was trying to imply. Cas rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at the floor.

“I mean you should come to be with me,” Cas told Dean softly. 

There was a steady silence in the room, save the hum of the TV, before Dean looked over at Cas, looking almost curious.

“You’re okay if I sleep in the same bed?” Dean questioned, sitting up a little, grabbing the remote to the TV. Cas simply nodded. “You’re sure?” Dean questioned, and Cas gave a shy little nod that made Dean’s heart ache.

For some reason.

“Alright, then,” Dean sighed, turning off the TV and starting to rise from the couch.

“I left out a set of spare pajamas for you,” Cas added as he began walking to the kitchen. “I have to go get something from the kitchen.”

“Alright,” Dean replied almost quietly as he rose from the couch and stretched, watching Cas head off into the kitchen.

As Cas did, he could still feel his stomach fluttering even more and he did his best to will it to stop. It shouldn’t be such a big deal, right? That him and Dean were going to sleep in the same bed? It had been almost a week of them being together, after all, and Cas had to admit he had a growing fondness for Dean.

Cas took his time, filled up a glass of water in the kitchen to bring back to bed and thought, in the back of his head, if Dean was someone who was picky about which side of the bed he slept on. Or if he liked to cuddle. Cas’ stomach fluttered even more at that thought.

He tried to tamp down all thoughts, however, as he headed back to the bedroom. He didn’t really know why he was so nervous. It was just a bed. But, for some reason, it was more to Cas, and as Cas wandered into the bedroom to find Dean splayed out over half the bed, not even under the covers, for some reason, some weird reason, Cas didn’t feel as nervous anymore.

“This thing is so comfortable,” Dean groaned happily, and Cas hid a smile as he walked over to one side of the bed. “This beats sleeping on the couch times a million,” he then sighed, rolling over to one side, looking expectantly over at Cas. Cas carefully slid under the covers, still keeping his distance, and Dean found his way under the covers too. 

Dean looked up at the ceiling, and Cas looked up at the ceiling as if they were pointedly trying to avoid each other to whatever extent they could. But, finally, Dean spoke.

“What a domestic scene we make, huh, Cas?” Dean teased lightly, and Cas smiled a little at that because he had to. He just had to.

“I guess you’re right,” Cas sighed. “I’ve never really been one to personally witness actual domesticity though,” Cas went on somewhat shyly. Dean looked over at him with a furrowed brow.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I’ve witnessed it, I’ve watched over plenty of people, listened to people pray who have been in situations like this.” Cas gestured vaguely to him and Dean. “But I was never a part of it. These past few days have been the closest to domesticity that I’ve gotten,” Cas explained. Dean quirked an eyebrow.

“And what do you think of it so far?” he asked. Cas took a breath and let it out, looked back up at the ceiling because he had a feeling he couldn’t look at Dean when he replied with,

“It’s been wonderful.”

Cas could _feel_ Dean smile next to him. He didn’t have to look to know that Dean had that smile of his face that made some small part of Cas frustrated and the larger portion of Cas swoon.

“Oh, really?” Dean questioned, turning on his side to face Cas. Cas rolled his eyes.

“Don’t get cocky, Dean, you still push it sometimes,” Cas warned.

“What? You mean I haven’t made you swoon yet? A Knight of Hell demon who you hated only a week ago still gets on your nerves?” Dean teased, sounding mock offended. Cas looked over at him, highly unamused and yup, another one of those Dean Smiles that made Cas frustrated, annoyed, and also made him melt just a little.

“You have a ways to go before I’m swooning over you, Dean,” Cas said pointedly. Dean let out a sigh and shook his head.

“Guess I’m gonna have to work harder then, huh?” Dean supposed with a little quirk to the side of his mouth that suggested a smile. Cas swallowed thickly and nodded. “Am I at least making a dent in things? Have I convinced you that I’m charming enough to give a chance?” Dean questioned with another dazzling smile. 

“You haven’t _convinced_ me of much, but you’ve shown me that you’re not the kind of demon I expected.”

Dean raised an eyebrow.

“What kind of demon did you expect?”

Cas sighed and shook his head, looking back up at the ceiling.

“I haven’t really had too much experience with demons so I wasn’t all too sure, but, well, hearing that the demon I was going to be with was dominant, was an alpha, I kind of just, thought things would be straightforward and you’d take control and I wouldn’t have a choice or a say in things and…” Cas trailed off. “I thought I’d probably just be treated like some sweet little omega angel,” Cas sighed finally. Dean frowned next to him. 

“You don’t deserve to be treated like that.”

A pause in Cas’ brain, a pause in his thoughts. A pause to think of what Dean was saying, to think over all Dean had done for him. A pause long enough to make his heart beat a little faster and his stomach to flop. A pause long enough for Cas to look over at Dean, really look into green eyes that sparkled just so and made Cas feel a way he hadn’t really before. 

“You really think so?”

“I really think so.”

Cas smiled softly, smiled a smile that Dean didn’t have in him to tease Cas for. He smiled and sighed and something passed between them, some sort of understanding or mutual agreement. And Cas just rolled over, away from Dean because he knew if he kept looking at Dean he would only smile more. 

“Goodnight, Dean.”

Cas’ voice was soft, and so was Dean’s as he replied simply,

“Goodnight, Cas.”

\---

Slowly, it became routine after that. After Cas stopped waking up surprised that the bed wasn’t empty. After Cas felt comfortable with Dean being so close. After mornings were something Cas looked forwards to because he always woke up before Dean and he got to watch Dean wake up with soft features, a vulnerability offered in him that Cas relished. 

Still, they kept their distance in bed, they had their respective sides. Arms or legs or feet brushed here and there but it went unrecognized and unsaid. It didn’t bother either of them. But, biology betrayed them on the fourth day of sleeping in the same bed. 

Cas woke up to a smell, initially. The smell of bonfires, the smell of pine. A smell not harsh, a smell more comforting than anything. It was rich and thick and practically enveloping Cas and it was so good Cas almost groaned. It was all around him. And then he realized why. 

Dean, dead asleep, was spooned behind him with his arms wrapped tightly and possessively around Cas’ waist. 

Cas panicked, but he didn’t move. 

It must’ve happened when they were both asleep, and when Cas thought it over he actually wondered to himself why this hadn’t happened sooner. 

The more comfortable an omega and an alpha got around each other, the more biological traits came out. And possessiveness, the need to protect an omega, was hardwired into every alpha. Dean had likely gathered Cas in his arms overnight, the need to protect an omega so close to him overriding any restraints Dean had. Plus, he was at the disadvantage of being asleep. 

Cas thought this over as his heart thumped in his chest. There was a lot happening at once and Cas was simply trying to straighten things out. 

This was the closest he’d ever been to Dean, Dean’s chest pressed to Cas’ back, their legs tangled together. It was something Cas had admittedly thought about and knew would eventually happen, but he hadn’t exactly prepared himself for it happening so suddenly. 

Cas decided to try and wriggle free initially, trying to push Dean’s arms away, but Dean’s grip on Cas only tightened, and when Cas really tried to wriggle even more, the slightest growl came from Dean’s throat and made Cas’ heart jump. 

It was natural for alphas to be possessive of their omegas, especially in their sleep. Dean’s instincts were likely telling him to keep Cas close. 

Cas huffed an impatient breath because now, at this point, he wasn’t worried about being so close to Dean. The shock of the situation had worn off, and Cas wasn’t feeling forced or coerced into something he didn’t want. Dean was warm and he smelled good and his breathing against Cas was steady and calmed almost every nerve Cas had. So, yeah, Cas was pretty much fine with it - except Dean was crushing him at that point. 

“Dean,” Cas grumbled, sleep still present in his voice. He nudged Dean, tried rolling into him, tried to wake him up in almost every way. 

Nothing worked. 

Cas let out an annoyed huff of air before relenting in his last option and kicking Dean in the shin - hard. 

Dean jumped and let out a garbled curse, and Cas knew he was obviously still half asleep. But, Cas knew he was at least somewhat awake when he froze, every muscle in his body stilling before he tried to disentangle himself from Cas. 

“Shit, Cas, I didn’t-” he began, but Cas cut him off, reaching back and grabbing his wrist gently. 

“No,” Cas said almost softly, and Dean paused, hand lingering just above Cas’ waist. “Stay,” he said simply, his voice quiet. 

“Oh.”

Cas wasn’t sure what exactly was in Dean’s voice but there was at least a hint of surprise there. 

“You’re sure?” he asked softly. Cas nodded, relinquishing his grip on Dean’s wrist. 

“Yes,” Cas replied in a barely whispered voice. 

Dean’s hand slowly came back down, sliding gently over Cas’ waist and the touch made Cas melt. It was so unusually gentle, so tame. 

“I only woke you up because you were crushing me,” Cas spoke to Dean. “I didn’t, I don’t,” Cas began, unable to find the right words. He sighed and closed his eyes. “I like having you this close to me.”

There was a solid pause in the air before Dean spoke. 

“Really?”

He sounded almost unbelieving and it made Cas smile just a little. 

“Really,” Cas replied. 

“For what it’s worth, I really didn’t mean to, y’know, end up like this,” Dean offered, tone almost bashful.

“It’s alright,” Cas told him gently. “Like I said, this is nice,” he added on. Then, more shyly, “You’re warm. And you smell really good.”

Dean laughed at that, light and sweet and Cas could feel Dean laughing against him.

“What do I smell like?” Dean questioned, curious and amused. Cas quirked a smile.

“Like pine and bonfires, warm, not exactly soft but comforting and securing,” Cas told Dean.

“Well, that’s nice to hear,” Dean hummed behind him, and Cas could tell from his voice that he was smiling. And Cas was smiling back.

“A lot of alphas smell too strong, at least the ones I’ve been around,” Cas told Dean.

“A lot of omegas smell too sweet,” Dean told Cas. Cas paused.

“What do I smell like?” Cas questioned, turning his head just slightly to try and look at Dean. Dean poked his head up and caught Cas’ eye, a little gleam in his own.

“You smell sweet, but not too sweet. It’s an intricate, delicate kind of smell,” Dean said. “Flowers, marshmallows, a hint of something like cloves to tie it together. Maybe some vanilla too,” Dean went on. His eyes were still sparkling, and Cas found it hard to make eye contact without grinning like an idiot, so he settled back down and shifted a little, curling up to Dean as much as he could.

“You’re such a charmer,” Cas mumbled, and Dean chuckled a little, nuzzling into Cas just the slightest.

“I’m just telling you the facts here, Cas,” Dean argued. “And the facts are that you smell absolutely amazing and that I’m glad you’re not pissed at me for attacking you in your sleep,” Dean huffed. Cas snorted.

“You hardly attacked me, Dean. If anything, I attacked you by kicking you in the shin,” Cas told Dean who laughed.

“Yeah, I’m gonna have a bruise there now,” Dean replied, nudging Cas with his leg.

“As a Knight of Hell, I’m sure you won’t be all that sore,” Cas pointed out, and Dean nodded.

“You’re right. And getting kicked in the shin was worth it if you’re letting me hold you like this,” Dean added on softly. Cas quirked a little smile.

“And you crushing me momentarily was worth it if now you get to hold me like this,” Cas agreed. Cas could feel Dean smile into his skin as Dean fit his head into the crook of Cas’ neck.

“I’m glad we’re both on the same page for once,” Dean spoke softly. Cas nodded.

“I am too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hoooo boy we're getting deeper into things now!!! only question is..... will something stand in the way of them before they can reach a complete level of trust??? next monday you may find out <3


	6. Heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas were getting into a good routine, things were going well... but something is about to get in the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hohooooo if u enjoy casturbation then this chapter is for you my friend!!!! this chapter isn't much, just like 2.7k words of arguing and then solo smut a la cas, so we can kiiinda call this filler, but i mean, it's smutty filler so who's complaining?

Dean and Cas fell into routine in the days that came after the initial incident of Dean capturing Cas in his sleep. Touching each other was no longer a foreign concept. Cas would crawl into bed and curl up to Dean, and Dean would wrap his arms around Cas. The looming subject of the bond faded as the familiarity they had with each other grew to something comfortable, something easy. Cas felt safe in Dean’s arms, and Dean felt the need to keep Cas safe. Cas went to sleep and woke up with Dean by his side. Everything was seemingly smooth and steady. Until one morning, Cas woke up in bed alone, in a cold sweat, an itch under his skin that he wasn’t sure how to scratch.

It didn’t take him long to figure out what, exactly, was happening, however.

As Cas sat up in bed and tried to decide if he wanted to take his clothes off or keep them on, as he tried to figure out where Dean was and why the bed was empty, he realized, slowly and surely, what was happening.

His heat had hit.

Looking out the windows, Cas saw the sun was barely even up, it was hardly dawn. He threw the covers off with a huff, everything feeling too hot, yet cold at the same time. He internally took a moment to kick himself for not remembering, for not thinking ahead, telling Dean that his heat was going to hit. If he had been thinking, he would have known that his heat was due.

His thoughts felt like they were moving too slow, or perhaps too fast, Cas couldn’t quite tell or decide. The only thing he could decide, however, the only thing he was set on, was the fact that he needed to find Dean.

Cas slid out of bed, kicking the covers as he went, cringing as he felt a trickle of slick leak down the back of his thigh. Of course this would happen, he thought to himself as he headed out of the bedroom. Of course, when he was just getting comfortable with Dean, when they were both on the same page, his heat would come and fuck everything up.

It didn’t take an awful lot of time for Cas to find Dean because Cas could smell him. It was his normal smell, his natural one, but it was just slightly harsher, almost thicker, more solid. Cas followed it to the kitchen where, sure enough, Dean was standing, arms braced on the edge of the sink with his back to Cas. Cas visibly saw him tense when Cas entered the room.

“Dean,” Cas said simply and he hated the way his voice came out, meek and soft. 

“Yes.”

Dean’s voice was almost strained, rough in a way that made Cas shiver.

“Why’d you get out of bed?” Cas questioned, wondering Dean’s reasoning. Cas knew that Dean was able to smell his heat, but he wanted to know just why Dean had left him alone in bed instead of staying next to him like an alpha usually would.

“Because you’re in heat and I’m not doing anything to you or with you while you’re in heat,” Dean explained, his voice still rough. Cas’ brows furrowed in confusion.

“I don’t understand,” Cas said simply, his voice still soft and meek in that way he hated.

“Because you’re not you when you’re in heat. When you’re in heat, when any omega is in heat, you’re ruled by biology and instinct. And, your heat also runs my biology and instinct because I can smell it on you and I know what you want. So, yeah, I’d love to even touch you right now, but I know if I touch you it’ll lead to other stuff, and I don’t want to get into any of that if it’s just because of your heat,” Dean finished off. Cas blinked and bit his lip.

“What if it’s not just my heat?” Cas questioned. Dean sighed, turned around to finally face Cas and he looked stressed more than anything else. He gave Cas a once over and his eyes glittered in a way that was almost predatory.

“I’m still not taking a chance with you, Cas,” Dean told Cas, shaking his head. “I don’t want to take advantage of you.”

“You’re not taking advantage of me if I want it,” Cas told Dean, trying to will his voice to come out stronger. Dean just shook his head once more.

“Cas, you’re vulnerable in this state.”

“You’re not listening to me,” Cas argued, stepping forwards. Dean tensed.

“No, you’re not listening to me,” Dean shot right back and his voice was so low it was almost a growl. It almost tore a whimper from Cas. “I’m not laying a hand on you, Cas, and I’m not risking anything,” he went on. Cas stood there, stared Dean down as if maybe he stared intently enough or long enough, Dean would change his mind. But Cas knew he wouldn’t. He just wouldn’t. 

“Where are you going, then? Are you leaving?” Cas managed finally. Dean sighed.

“I’m not going anywhere, I’m staying here. But I’m gonna leave you alone and I’m gonna sleep on the couch,” Dean informed Cas who opened his mouth to protest, but closed it when he saw the look in Dean’s eye. A warning look. And right then, Cas didn’t have the energy to argue, because what Dean was saying held something, to an extent it was true. So, all Cas did was shake his head, turn on his heel, and head to the bedroom where he shut the door, crawled on the bed, collapsed in a heap, and tried not to scream in aggravation. It was only the first day of his heat, it hadn’t even peaked or developed, but Cas could tell it was already strong and it didn’t help in the least that Dean refused to be a part of it.

Cas knew that Dean was being rational. It was true that Cas was ruled by biology and instinct when he was in heat and it was true that that’s when he was most vulnerable; but it didn’t stop Cas from wanting Dean. The fact that Dean was near him, the fact that he was an alpha, it was tantalizing to Cas who wished so bad that Dean would relent in his ways, but Cas knew how stubborn Dean was. 

Cas rolled around in the sheets, the lingering smell of Dean making him groan. Dean smelled good initially, just on a normal day, but while Cas was in heat, Dean’s smell was a thousand times better.

Cas wasn’t so sure what to do or what the next step was. He had gone through heats before, but the circumstances he was currently in changed the game completely. Cas wasn’t up in Heaven where he could keep to himself and ride it out, try to satiate it as best he could. He was stuck in a remote cabin with an alpha who refused to go near him.

Lovely.

Cas stayed in bed, thinking, heat frenzied mind switching between slow thinking and racing thoughts. Cas didn’t just want, he _needed_ , his instincts begging for something he knew he couldn’t have. 

He tried to not think of Dean, to not think of the fact that an alpha was there with him, but all he could smell in the sheets was Dean, Dean, Dean and with every passing moment it felt like the smell was getting stronger and it was driving Cas crazy.

After a few moments of that torture, of simply smelling Dean and wishing circumstances would magically change, Cas decided staying in the bedroom wasn’t going to help him in that moment. So, he got up and marched to the bathroom, closing the door, turning on the shower, and throwing off all his clothes.

He turned the temperature of the water to something cooler, but it was apparent when he stepped into the shower under the refreshing spray of water that it would only help so much. He tilted his head back, let the water fall from his throat to his chest and down his thighs and legs. The coolness of it eased some of the heat bubbling inside of him, but still, there was that familiar itch under his skin, that sort of feeling that made Cas wish he could crawl out of his skin.

Cas leaned forwards, braced his hands against the cool tile of the shower and sighed, shutting his eyes. Cool showers only calmed him so much. They offered a small sliver of relief for his body, but his mind was still racing, thinking of what he wanted, _needed_ , and what he would do to get it.

The worst part was, there really wasn’t anything he could do to get what he needed. 

Cas had to admit that though his thoughts and body were revolving around the need to be knotted, in this case by Dean, he had thought about this before his heat had even hit.

Cas knew, obviously, that Dean was going to knot him at one point or another. That’s how the bond worked, that’s how mating worked. And initially, Cas felt nervous about it, he felt as though it wouldn’t work out. But with the way Dean treated him, the way Dean went slow and seemingly almost always promised there was more time to get to know each other, well, Cas had to admit that he started thinking things weren’t so bad. The arrangement wasn’t so bad.

The cuddling, lingering touches, the comfort Cas felt around Dean had been leading up to the realization that mating with Dean felt like more of a choice and it felt like more of a choice Cas wanted to take.

Cas could only imagine them mated, could only imagine the things Dean would do as Cas’ alpha. Cas had been thinking, even before his heat hit, that Dean was probably the most well suited alpha Cas had met, and one that Cas wouldn’t mind getting more involved with. Cas had no qualms with the thoughts of more intimate touches or kisses, his only qualm was, well, he hadn’t done much like that in the past.

Sure, he had childhood crushes and little relationships here and there up in Heaven. But, Cas was still younger, he wasn’t seasoned and wise like the archangels or his older brothers. He had a lot to learn and a long ways to go. He was virginal, innocent, and that was one of the reasons he had been picked to carry out the bond. But, he found, as days passed, he didn’t mind that part so much. He was okay with where Dean wanted to take him because he trusted Dean.

As he stood in the shower, thinking things over, he felt his focus shift more to Dean. He was having mixed feelings about Dean now that Dean had refused to help him through his heat, but he was too frazzled to think about the solution to that, to think about what he would say to Dean when he next saw him. All he could think of was Dean. Dean’s eyes, his hair, his skin, the way Dean’s arms felt wrapped around Cas, the way Cas felt safe and sound when Dean was there for him like that, when the two of them went to bed and Dean would nuzzle into him and they would make conversation that always put Cas at ease.

The more Cas thought about Dean, about all the aspects of him, the more he could feel that itch under his skin intensify, and the more he felt like he needed to scratch it. Soon enough, he could feel more slick start to leak down his thighs, and he held back a frustrated groan, his fingertips pressing harder into the tile of the shower, the tips of them turning white.

Cas took a deep, collective breath and let it out, letting his head hang forwards. His left hand wavered for a moment on the shower wall, pulling back but hesitating. He knew what would momentarily scratch his itch, but he was hesitant. Dean was still in the house, and Cas didn’t want Dean knowing what he was doing and Dean probably did because he could probably smell Cas’ arousal. But, Cas threw caution to the wind, gave a big ‘fuck you’ to restraint, and let his hand fall back behind him, nimble fingers working their way past Cas’ cheeks to find his rim, hot and slick and begging for a knot.

Cas stifled another groan as he simply felt over all the slick that had already leaked out. Some of it was being washed away by the water, but a fair amount was still there. It was enough to give Cas the ability to slip one finger one knuckle deep past his rim.

Cas squeezed his eyes shut at that, the intrusion easily feeling like not enough. Cas let his finger slide in a little deeper, then deeper, until he felt a stretch, a pleasant, ever so slight burn that made his breathing pick up. He tried to keep quiet, however, as he slid that finger out, then back in, and repeated the motion until he felt loose and hot despite the running water still being cold.

Cas felt a warmth develop slowly in his stomach, some sort of hunger that asked for more. And who was Cas to deny that? So, Cas slipped in a second finger, and really had to hold back a groan at that. Two fingers were easily better than one, and there was still that slight stretch that made the warmth in Cas’ stomach bubble.

Cas experimented with those two fingers, hooking them on his rim, curling them, thrusting them in at different paces, trying to find a good rhythm. It was infuriating, however, that those two fingers didn’t feel like enough. They weren’t long enough or thick enough, they weren’t solid and steady like Dean’s fingers probably were. Dean’s fingers were probably perfect.

Cas bit back a whimper when he thought of Dean’s fingers, thick and strong and curling inside of him just right. Cas thought of what Dean would feel like that close to him, what Dean would say, how gentle he would be. Cas could only imagine it, and the images it brought to mind had him slipping in a third finger.

Cas’ cock was hard between his legs at that point, but he chose to ignore it, focusing his attention on his fingers, on getting them as deep as possible. Three fingers was a stretch but still, it didn’t feel like enough, and it had frustrated tears welling up in Cas’ eyes. He bit his lip and leaned his forehead against the tile of the shower wall, ready to give up when he got the right angle and found his prostate on just the right thrust.

A soft, quiet whimper fell from Cas’ lips at that. He knew then that that was really his only leverage. So, he used it to his best ability, stroking over it relentlessly until those tears in his eyes were from pleasure, from overstimulation and that warmth in his stomach was spreading all over him from his toes to his chest.

Cas rocked into the thrusts of his fingers, panting, open mouthed, cock neglected between his legs as he thought more and more of Dean, Dean’s fingers, his lips, his knot. It was only a matter of time before the thought of it all tipped Cas right over the edge and Cas was coming, biting his lip to keep back a moan as he throbbed around his three fingers and his cock pulsed between his legs.

After his orgasm had ebbed and flowed and eventually faded, Cas felt his heat fade for a moment, something inside of him at least dully satisfied to the point where Cas could think at least somewhat clearly. And when he could, he felt a sense of dread because he knew that what just happened would only be happening for the next few days, and the whole time, Cas would be alone to face it head on. And, of course, in Heaven, he faced his heats alone, but now that Cas had Dean in the house, he felt somehow even more alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> only three more chapters left!!! next week i may or may not be posting on christmas, i know it's a monday so technically i /should/ be posting but u kno how it is on christmas with family and gifts and distractions so i may not have time to post; if i don't, ya'll will get chapter seven the day after christmas as a late present <3


	7. Acceptance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Cas' heat subsides, he's left to deal with Dean and hear Dean's side of the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> merry christmas!!! or happy holidays to those of you who don't celebrate!! ya'll are probably all eating dinner rn but i had dinner early and i have a small family so i found some time to sneak over here and give you guys an update <3

Dean felt shitty. Just overall, as a blanket statement. 

The morning that Cas’ heat hit, Dean had smelled it before it could develop into anything. And once he smelled it, he had hoped right the fuck out of that bed and gone to the kitchen so he could collect himself. 

Dean had told himself sternly that there was no way he was touching Cas when he was in heat. 

Then, of course, Dean felt terrible the second Cas had wandered into the kitchen smelling fucking amazing and looking better and more delicious than any home baked apple pie Dean had ever had. 

Then, Dean felt even more terrible when he came to the realization that Cas really really needed something that Dean could easily have given him. 

But it didn’t work like that, not in Dean’s mind. 

Dean knew all about heat and omegas in heat. And he knew just how vulnerable Cas was in that state. And Dean did not want, for a single second, to take advantage of that vulnerability. Sure, Cas was asking for it, but in Dean’s mind, all he was hearing was Cas’ biology asking for it, not Cas himself. 

Dean knew him and Cas hadn’t even kissed, that all lingering touches were chaste and careful. Dean knew that Cas hadn’t gone far with him, and he also suspected, just from Cas himself, that Cas may not have gone too far with anyone else either. 

It was a guess, but Dean didn’t care. 

Dean had to admit, he wanted to go further with Cas, he wanted to move forwards, but he refused to do so unless Cas was okay with it. So, Dean went at Cas’ pace and didn’t complain because Cas was sweet and kind and he deserved to be taken care of. 

So, even whilst Dean kept his distance from Cas when he was in heat, Dean made sure to leave Cas’ favorite foods by the bedroom door where Cas had holed up for the duration of his heat. He kept an eye out for Cas even though he didn’t see much of him. Dean would have loved to take part in Cas’ heat by being closer, but Dean knew instincts would take over if he kept too close to Cas. So, he kept his distance, and waited until one day, Cas came out of the bedroom and waltzed into the kitchen heat free and smelling normal again. Dean was immediately relieved, and showed it in a little smile as he watched Cas wander over to the fridge.

“Your heat’s finally gone,” Dean pointed out as he got up from the couch and followed Cas into the kitchen. Cas didn’t reply, only pulled some orange juice from the fridge, set it down on the counter and shot Dean _a look_ that clearly said something but Dean was having a little trouble deciphering it at first.

“Do you feel better?” Dean then went on, watching Cas go on to grab a class from one of the cabinets. The answer was probably obvious, so Dean figured maybe that’s why Cas didn’t respond at all, just kept minding his own business. But, Dean figured differently when he got that same look again, only a little more concentrated this time. Dean, being somewhat obtuse, finally just sighed, and asked, “Alright, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Cas’ reply was sharp and quick and Dean knew from the second it came out of his mouth that it was a lie.

“Cas, something’s up,” Dean argued as Cas picked up his orange juice and began to walk out of the kitchen.

“It’s nothing, Dean,” Cas argued, taking a sip as he walked through the living room.

“Cas, just tell me what’s wrong,” Dean sighed, stopping in his tracks as Cas did the same in front of him. When Cas turned to look at Dean, his eyes were flashing a warning blue that made Dean really stop in his tracks.

“Okay, fine, you wanna know what’s wrong?” Cas questioned, setting down his orange juice on the coffee table. “You, that’s what’s wrong,” Cas told Dean who blinked, and blinked, and then raised an eyebrow.

“Me?”

Cas nodded.

“What did I do?”

“You left me alone when I was in heat, when I needed you the most,” Cas told Dean who felt his stomach drop and his mind twist to try and make sense of Cas’ words.

“Cas, you were vulnerable,” Dean began, but Cas cut him off.

“Yeah, and that’s why I needed you. You’re the alpha here, remember?” Cas pointed out. Dean opened his mouth, closed it, and sighed.

“Cas, I didn’t want to take advantage of you. What you wanted was your biology talking, it wasn’t you,” Dean argued.

“You don’t know that, Dean. You think I’m still in the dark over this whole bond issue? You think I don’t know what needs to happen?”

“What needs to happen is that you need to get comfortable with me and you need to trust me,” Dean added. Cas seemingly only got more annoyed with that.

“And I did, I trusted you, and I was comfortable with you, okay? I was willing to take things a lot further even before my heat hit and that’s what I was trying to tell you but you couldn’t just fucking listen.”

Oh.

Well, that had gone right over Dean’s head.

“But, it doesn’t matter now, because I realized that even after this is all over, after the bond, the mating, all of it is over, you’re leaving, you’re not gonna stay.”

Cas was getting more and more upset, and Dean could see a pink flush rising up from under Cas’ collar as Cas started to step closer to Dean.

“I knew you were an asshole when I met you and you just proved that by keeping me in the dark for the duration of my entire heat. You proved that you don’t have it in you to stay, to take care of an omega. You took care of me so well up until now, and when it really mattered you left.”

“I was trying to protect you, Cas,” Dean argued, voice raising. “You’re not listen-”

“No, you’re not listening to me,” Cas shot back, stepping even closer to Dean. Dean could feel Cas’ body heat at this point, radiating off of him in waves. “I was willing to give you so much, but you weren’t willing to give back.”

“You don’t understand,” Dean argued, and his voice was tight. Dean could feel the tension between them, palpable and thick and very suggestive.

“I understand that you want what’s best for you. You told me yourself right when we met that demons just want whatever is best for them,” Cas said, his voice softer now, yet still full of intent. His eyes were on Dean’s now, bright and blue and full of a fire that made Dean’s stomach tumble. 

“I want what’s best for you.”

Dean didn’t know why his words came out in a hoarse whisper, but they did. And Dean didn’t know why those words were coming out when he had never thought of saying them to anyone in a long time. 

“You don’t know what’s best for me,” Cas replied, and his voice had turned even softer, quieter. 

“And that’s the worst part,” Dean told Cas, and his voice was so sincere that Cas felt like melting. 

There was a period of time that felt like an eon, a period of time that stretched on and on as Dean looked at Cas and Cas looked at Dean and a mutual understanding was brought between them but went unsaid, even though the tension in the room spoke volumes.

And Dean’s eyes flicked to Cas’ lips, and Cas’ eyes roamed Dean’s face. And everything was in slow motion when Dean pressed forwards, cupped Cas’ face oh so tenderly in one hand and kissed him, soft, sweet, chaste, and full of words Dean would never be able to say.

The slightest bit of shock seemed to run through Cas, but then he melted into it. Dean’s thumb stroked Cas’ cheekbone and it was then that Cas’ lips parted so slightly as though Dean had unlocked something in him, as though Dean had the key to every part of Cas that Cas had kept locked up.

Dean was gentle, and slow, but there was some insistent urge that ran between and underneath both of them and it showed in the kiss, heated, ardent, slow yet rushed at the same time in one impossible dualism.

Cas pressed into Dean, and Dean’s hand slid around Cas’ waist, and Cas seemingly offered up all he had to Dean as they kissed and kissed and kissed until both their lips felt numb.

When Dean pulled away, his breathing was heavy, and he panted hot breaths against Cas’ lips, pink and swollen and so fucking beautiful. Dean looked down at him, looked into those pretty, wide, open baby blues that made him weak kneed.

“I’m not leaving you, Cas. I’m not gonna leave you,” Dean breathed out. Cas shook his head.

“You don’t, we’ve only know each other for a month, you can’t just-”

“I can, I can and I will,” Dean argued. “I won’t leave unless you want me to.”

“That’s the last thing I want,” Cas told Dean who smiled.

“I thought you hated me a second ago.”

Cas ducked his head and glanced at the floor before glancing back up at Dean.

“I… I know, I was mad and I thought that you would just tap out if I explained everything but… I never really wanted you to leave. It’s not like I could start hating you all of the sudden,” Cas explained softly. Dean smiled, nosed at Cas’ cheek and pressed a kiss there.

“So, we’re on the same page now?”

Cas smiled.

“I think we are.”

\---

Being on the same page was wonderful to both Dean and Cas, but it was also something that seemingly needed work to keep up. Misunderstandings were obviously something the two of them did well, so to try and avoid more of those, Dean sat down on the couch with Cas quickly following to scramble into Dean’s arms, and they talked. 

“We should set boundaries. Or at least rules,” Dean began, carding through Cas’ hair as Cas rested his head on Dean’s chest. 

“What kind of rules?” Cas murmured in question, glancing up at Dean. Dean sighed and shrugged.

“I don’t know, I mean, I want whatever happens to be consensual, y’know, that’s why I spent so long trying to earn your trust,” Dean explained. Cas smiled softly up at him.

“Well, you did a good job, even though it wavered for a second.”

“Well, do you trust me now?”

Cas nodded.

“You’re sure?”

Cas rolled his eyes.

“Yes, Dean, I’m sure. I promise,” Cas assured Dean who felt relief flood through him. The last thing he wanted was for Cas to not trust Dean to treat him right. “I trust you to make things good.”

“Well, I just want to make sure, y’know, that you’re okay with what we do. I mean, forgive me if I’m speaking out of line but, Cas, you’re kind of innocent. And you’re young,” Dean added on. That earned a glare from Cas.

“I know I’m young and I know I’m fairly innocent, alright? But I don’t need to discuss my sexual history with you. Do you want to tell me about all the people you’ve slept with?” Cas questioned. Dean rolled his eyes.

“Well, no, obviously, that would be a mood killer,” Dean pointed out.

“Exactly,” Cas agreed.

“Cas, what I’m getting at is I want to know what you’re comfortable with and I don’t want to shock you,” Dean explained. Cas sighed, and shifted on top of Dean.

“I’m comfortable mating with you and I’m not naive enough to not know what mating entails.” Then, a little more quietly, “I want you to knot me and I want you to bite me. That’s all I thought about when I was in heat.”

“Oh.”

Dean’s voice was a little rough and a lot surprised. And Cas just had to smile at that.

“And yeah, maybe it was amplified by my heat, but, it stuck around. It’s still there,” Cas told Dean with a soft smile, resting his chin on Dean’s sternum. “Do you, y’know, want that too?” Cas then questioned, his voice a little more shy. Dean snorted.

“Is that even a question?”

Cas grinned.

“So, I guess we’re still on the same page. The only question is when,” Cas pointed out.

“Whatever happens happens when the time comes and when things feel natural,” Dean told Cas.

“Well, we don’t have forever,” Cas grumbled, thinking over the extra month they currently had left.

“We have enough, I promise,” Dean assured Cas with a soft smile. Cas smiled back, and leaned forwards, pressing a soft kiss to Dean’s lips. It was true that they didn’t have all the time in the world, but Dean really did make it seem like it was the opposite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i hope that you guys are all having a good holiday season with lots of cheer!!! and i hope you enjoyed this chapter too!!! next one will be even better, i promise ;)


	8. Moments Of Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After everything they've been through, Dean and Cas finally decide to tie the knot - so to speak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *loudspeaker voice* and it's the moment we've all been waiting for folks!!!!!
> 
> on a serious note tho, i haven't posted porn on here in awhile, this was pre-written however and written awhile back so hopefully it flows and hopefully it fits well in the story <3

“The right time” didn’t take long to come. The tension that had been playing out in different ways between Dean and Cas from the moment they met finally decided it had had enough the next morning.

Dean woke up initially, soon becoming aware of what position him and Cas had entangled themselves into over the duration of the night. Their legs were tangled together, but this time, instead of Cas with his back to Dean’s chest, Cas was facing Dean, his head tucked right under Dean’s chin. 

Dean smiled softly at the position, placing a tender kiss to the top of Cas’ head. Cas’ breathing was steady and soft, his body warm. Dean relished in it, in the closeness of him and Cas, in the fact that Cas was more than willing to curl up to him like that now, that when they went to sleep at night and woke up in the morning, Cas was always close.

Dean let Cas wake up in his own time, which, Cas woke up fairly soon after Dean, stretching out a little with a soft noise before settling back down with a sigh.

“You awake?” Dean murmured, one hand soothing itself down Cas’ back. Cas simply nodded. “Sleep well?”

“Mhm,” Cas hummed, his voice still rough with sleep. “I like sleeping with you next to me. This bed is too big for one person,” Cas told Dean who smiled softly.

“I agree.”

Cas scoffed a little.

“No, you don’t. You would totally take this bed for yourself if you could,” Cas argued and, alright, Cas was kind of right. Dean was a sucker for comfortable beds. 

“Doesn’t mean I don’t like sharing it with you,” Dean argued right back, nuzzling into Cas. 

“Debatable,” Cas hummed, and Dean rolled his eyes. “Roll your eyes all you want, Dean, you can’t ignore the truth.”

“So sassy,” Dean sighed, shaking his head. Dean could feel Cas smile at that, and a little smile crept its way onto his own lips. 

“Are you making breakfast?” Cas then asked after a moment’s pause. 

“If you want me to,” Dean replied, carding a hand through Cas’ hair. “We could always go out if you wanted to,” Dean offered. Cas shook his head.

“Your cooking has become superior to most diner foods,” Cas told Dean who grinned way too wide.

“Wow, compliment of the year,” Dean said happily and Cas snorted and nudged him.

“Don’t get cocky,” Cas mumbled.

“I’m sorry, what did you say? I was too busy basking in your previous statement that my cooking is superior to diner food,” Dean teased. Cas snorted again, wriggling out of Dean’s arms and trying to roll away.

“You’re obnoxious.”

Dean reached over and grabbed Cas, hauling him back to his side.

“First of all, yes, I am obnoxious, second of all, you’re not getting away that easy,” Dean told Cas who tried to fight a smile as he squirmed in Dean’s arms.

“Dean,” Cas groaned, half in annoyance, half in amusement as Dean finally heaved Cas on top of him. 

“Yes, Cas?”

Dean’s eyes were bright green and sparkling and Cas could see little flecks of gold in them when he was that close to Dean, nose to nose with him with their chests flush together.

“Let me go.”

Cas’ tone was flat, but there was a half smile playing on his lips and pretty much no intention behind his word. Even if Dean relented his grip on Cas’ waist at that point, Cas probably wouldn’t roll off of him. 

“Why should I?” Dean questioned, cocking his head to the side. He was smirking at that point and Goddamnit that smirk was gonna be the death of Cas.

Cas opened his mouth, stared down at Dean and let his gaze wander over Dean’s face, taking in those little details he wouldn’t have been able to see from farther away. Dean’s eyelashes, his freckles that dappled themselves over his nose and spread out to his cheeks. Cas couldn’t help but think back to when he was just a child and some of the angels in the garrison spread the rumor that freckles were kisses from angels. Cas could only imagine leaving that many tender kisses across Dean’s face, tiny freckles being the result. It made Cas’ heart warm.

“Why’re you looking at me like that?” Dean questioned, voice soft but also filled with some sort of amusement.

“Like what?” Cas murmured back, letting his gaze fall back to Dean’s eyes.

“Like you’re amazed by my mere presence, like my face holds all the answers and you’re madly in love with-”

Cas kissed him, leaned down and stopped Dean right in his tracks, pressing his lips to Dean’s gently, yet with a force that offered intention. They stayed like that for a moment, and Cas drank in the kiss, the warmth of Dean, the softness of his lips. It was beyond indulgent to be able to kiss Dean the way he was. To be able to kiss Dean with unsaid words on his lips, early in the morning with the sun having just risen outside their window, offering a golden glow to their room. It kind of made Cas understand why people described things as “Heaven”. It kind of made Cas feel like maybe he had been missing out on Heaven all along and this is where it really was.

Cas pulled away finally, after a long moment of holding his breath. When he did, Dean looked up at him, curious, eyes sparkling, soft smile dancing on his lips.

“And what was that for?”

“To shut you up,” Cas replied, half a lie, half a truth.

“Well, if you’re gonna do that everytime you want me to shut up I guess I should keep talking, huh?” Dean teased, smile growing.

“You’re impossible,” Cas sighed, but Dean’s smile was contagious and it was starting to spread to Cas.

“Cas,” Dean sang. “Don’t pretend like I don’t see that smile,” he went on.

“You’re just asking for me to shut you up again now,” Cas argued, nudging Dean with his leg.

“Possibly,” Dean replied coyly. “Maybe I’m just naturally annoying,” Dean then suggested, nosing at Cas’ cheek.

“It’s a combination,” Cas told Dean, still smiling, still trying valiantly not to, still failing.

“See, when you say things like that, I should really be in an indignant rage.”

“You suggested it,” Cas argued.

“You validated it,” Dean shot back.

“Touché.”

“That’s not how you pronounce it,” Dean pointed out, smirking. Cas looked down at him, unamused, and Dean only smirked more.

“Insufferable,” Cas commented.

“Your vocabulary is actually pretty-”

And then Cas was kissing Dean again, once more because not only did Cas want Dean to shut up, but Dean was nice to kiss. 

This kiss went on longer, and instead of Cas holding his breath he sighed, breathed into it and relaxed where he was still lying on top of Dean. Dean felt Cas relax and his hands that were still curled around Cas’ waist shifted, one moving up to Cas’ upper back, the other one soothing its way over to splay over Cas’ lower back in a way that grounded Cas more than anything really had.

The kiss was chaste, tame, warm and innocent, and it seemingly stretched on for some long moments before ever so slowly and gently it was deepened by Cas who parted his lips in offering, let himself melt into Dean who was accepting and open and willing to go where Cas wanted to.

The kiss offered some sort of dull thrill to Cas as it went on, growing more heated, a passion that had gone unsaid between him and Dean starting to appear in the kiss. 

Dean’s kisses were soft, yet strong, tender but steady and perfect in all the right ways. Cas melted into him, into the kiss, let Dean’s hands wander over his back in soothing motions that made Cas melt even more, growing open, vulnerable, as he offered himself up to Dean and was taken gladly by accepting arms.

Everything went slow, languid. There was no rush, no hurry, no place to be, no place to get to. Even as things became more heated, even as the kiss grew hungry, there was no particular destination that pulled them forwards. The only thing that pulled them, kept them going, was the touches of one another, the smooth swipes or curling of tongues, soft noises falling from busy lips, tender hands stroking just the right places.

Soon enough, however, Cas pulled away, lips lingering on Dean’s as he caught his breath. Cas was panting and Dean was panting and the air around them was starting to get hot, the covers atop them becoming more of a nuisance than anything else.

“Do you want-?”

“More.”

Cas filled in the answer to Dean’s unfinished question in a soft sigh against Dean’s lips. Cas’ gaze trailed up to Dean’s eyes and his pupils were already bigger, a slight blush staining his cheeks.

“You’re sure?”

Cas nodded. He could already smell Dean’s arousal beginning to curl through the air, his scent amplified, more heady, something that Cas felt like he could get drunk off of if he smelled enough of it.

Cas took a breath and sat up, throwing the covers off. Dean’s hands traveled down to Cas’ waist, then his hips, and his gaze stayed intent on Cas who bit his lip and looked over Dean. With Cas sitting up, having shifted back a little, he could feel Dean’s cock, half hard underneath him and contained in a pair of boxers and pajama pants. Cas bit his lip even harder as he gave an experimental roll of his hips, his own half hard cock rubbing against Dean’s and holy shit the friction was better than most things Cas had felt.

Dean groaned underneath him, his grip on Cas’ hips tightening as Cas rolled his hips again and again and again until Cas was letting loose these little whines and moans that were going straight to Dean’s dick.

After Dean had had enough of that, aka, after Dean got to the point where he knew he was gonna lose it if Cas didn’t stop, Dean shifted underneath Cas and tugged at Cas’ shirt.

“Cas, hold on, hold on,” Dean breathed out, practically wheezing underneath Cas whose hips stuttered.

“What?” Cas breathed back. 

“Get this off and roll over for me,” Dean instructed gently, watching carefully as Cas did as told, tugging his shirt off and throwing it to the side before reluctantly shifting off of Dean and rolling to Dean’s side.

Dean let out a breath, sitting up and throwing off his own shirt before moving over, straddling Cas himself. Dean took a moment to look down at Cas beneath him and almost lost it again when he saw that pretty, delicate pink flush working its way up from Cas’ chest to his cheeks, his hair even more mussed than normal, his eyes wide and lust filled.

Dean leaned down, caught Cas up in a needy kiss. Cas grasped onto him, cupped Dean’s face in his hands as Dean slowly pulled away and started kissing down Cas’ neck. Cas bared it easily for him, arching up into Dean on a soft whimper. The submission Cas offered, again, went straight to Dean’s dick and Dean was sure he was gonna lose it way too quickly.

But, he didn’t stop, just kissed and nipped and bit and lavished all his attention to Cas’ neck. Cas’ neck was where his smell was most concentrated and with Dean nuzzled into it he could smell it better than ever. 

The classic smell of an aroused omega, it was Cas’ scent, sweet and soft, but more tantalizing, more sugary and addicting like warm apple pie or freshly baked fudge, toasted marshmallows and an underlying spice.

“Fuck, Cas, you smell so good,” Dean groaned as he left a tender love bite to one of Cas’ pulse points.

“Dean,” Cas gasped, arching up into Dean even more, his hips working needy little circles up into whatever part of Dean they could reach.

“I got you, Cas, don’t worry,” Dean assured Cas as he worked his way down Cas’ body. He kissed and licked over pretty much any inch of skin he could get at, and Cas was completely overwhelmed by the time Dean had shimmied his way down Cas’ body and had his fingers hooked in Cas’ pajama pants. It was then that Dean took the slightest pause, glancing up at Cas. “Okay?” he asked, and that’s what really got Cas. Cas knew that Dean would stop this whole endeavor if Cas asked him to.

But, that was the last thing Cas wanted.

“Please.”

Cas didn’t mean for it to come out sounding so desperate, but he really didn’t have time to care because soon enough Dean was tugging down his boxers along with his pajama pants, helping Cas kick them off until Cas was lying in the middle of the bed, naked, totally at Dean’s mercy.

And it was the most erotic thing Cas had ever experienced.

“Gonna make you feel so good, Cas, I promise,” Dean murmured as he kissed along Cas’ lower abdomen. And Cas didn’t doubt that, not for a second. Cas had complete and utter faith that Dean was going to make everything spectacular because this was _Dean_.

Dean mouthed over one of Cas’ hipbones, bit down hard enough for Cas to whimper, his cock twitching in earnest. Dean’s hands slid up Cas’ thighs until they curled around Cas’ hips as he pulled his mouth away from Cas’ hipbone and gave Cas another once over that made Cas swallow thickly.

Dean shimmied down a little more, his hands cradling Cas’ thighs, thumbs rubbing soothing circles into his skin. Cas watched him with unerring intent, watched the way Dean’s eyes moved all over Cas’ body until they settled on his cock, hard and leaking against his stomach. Dean ever so slowly wrapped a hand around Cas whose breath hitched at the sensation.

“Just relax,” Dean soothed as he worked Cas’ cock in languid, smooth pulls. Cas huffed at that, letting his head fall back because first of all, Dean telling Cas to relax was something that was hard for Cas to carry out and two, Cas was pretty sure he was gonna come if he kept watching Dean’s every move.

So, Cas laid there, eyes shut tight as he felt Dean’s hand work over him, steady and slow. Dean’s fingers were thick but nimble, finding all the right places, touching Cas in ways Cas hadn’t even imagined before. And then, before Cas could even gather his wits, Dean’s mouth was on his cock, hot and wet and very very talented.

Dean was teasing at first with his tongue, licked a broad stripe up the underside of Cas’ cock, tongued at the crown, licked over the head. Dean pulled out every move he hoped would make Cas fall apart and he did just that.

Cas was white knuckling the sheets, the only thing keeping him from thrusting his hips up into Dean’s mouth was Dean’s solid grip on Cas’ hips. There was a warmth running through every inch of Cas, an arousal curling through every part of him, lighting him up from the inside out and making all his nerves sing in bliss. Cas basked in it all, in every movement of Dean’s tongue, every brush of his fingers. It was a pleasure all too good to resist, and Cas let out the most pitiful whimper when it was gone, Dean’s mouth pulling away, his grip on Cas’ hips easing up.

Cas poked his head up, ready to be indignant, but Dean immediately soothed him.

“Sorry, sorry, just taking these off,” Dean told Cas as he slid off the bed, tugging down his pajama pants, boxers too. Cas eyed his cock hungrily, licking his lips and shifting as Dean crawled back on the bed. 

“Wait.”

Dean stopped in his tracks, half on the bed half off the bed, eyes looking somewhat crazed, cock completely hard, already leaking and arcing up to his stomach. 

To Cas, it was a pretty good look on Dean.

But, he knew what would make it better.

Cas took a deep, somewhat shaky breath as he propped himself up on his elbows and rolled over. He shifted around a little, got on his hands and knees before finally sinking down even more, going onto his elbows, folding his arms and laying his head on them as though they were a pillow, slowly and shyly turning just his head to look at Dean. He had that same delicate blush staining his cheeks, a submission present in wide open blue eyes that were sparkling with so many unsaid words.

Dean almost came, right there and then.

Yeah, Dean had seen omegas present before. Yeah, it was hot when omegas presented, but it never really got Dean off like it did for some other alphas. But _this_ , Cas spread out on the bed with his ass up in the air in offering, submission present in his face, _that_ was something that really got Dean off. Really.

“Holy fucking shit, Cas,” Dean breathed out, tone unbelieving. A soft, very bashful smile played over Cas’ lips at Dean’s response as he ducked his head a little and dropped eye contact. Dean resumed crawling back up onto the bed, reaching Cas and sliding his hands up Cas’ thighs, watching the little shiver that ran through Cas in response. “You’re so fucking beautiful. Jeez,” Dean huffed, almost unbelieving as he looked at the trails of slick that were leaking down the back of Cas’ thighs. The smell of it was good enough but the taste must have been…

And that’s all it took for Dean to lean down and lick one long, broad stripe from perineum to tailbone, Cas’ slick tasting like fucking Heaven. It was even better when Cas _writhed_ underneath him, the most broken noise falling from his mouth.

Dean didn’t have any words. He didn’t have any words for how it felt to have Cas squirming underneath him, babbling complete nonsense and continually asking for more. Dean delivered as much as he could, twisting and working his tongue into Cas as best he could, occasionally testing a finger or two, listening to all the sounds Cas made in response. Dean smoothed his hands down Cas’ hips, then his sides, his waist, feeling him tremble and shake underneath him as Dean ate him out until Cas was practically crying from just how good it was.

When Dean finally decided that Cas was probably at his breaking point, he pulled away, wiping the copious amount of slick on his mouth away with his wrist.

“Lube,” he murmured, half to himself, half to the rest of the room. “There’s gotta be lube around here somewhere, right?”

“Bedside table drawer,” Cas managed from underneath Dean, turning to look up at him and Jesus Christ, his eyes were all glassy and he had little tear stains on his cheeks and he looked completely and utterly blissed out. He smirked a little up at Dean. “I found it when I was looking through the house when we first got here,” he told Dean before burying his face in his arms again.

“Right, good,” Dean sighed as he scrambled to the bedside table, reached in and thankfully found what he was looking for. 

He immediately returned to Cas and sat back on his heels as he popped the cap open and drizzled some over a few fingers. Cas’ slick was probably enough to get by because there was just so much of it, more than Dean had usually seen with omegas, but Dean wanted to be safe and careful and he wanted Cas to feel _good_.

“It’s gonna be cold, sweetheart,” Dean warned softly. Cas nodded a little and hummed underneath Dean, then soon felt one slick finger circle his rim before dipping inside of him and sliding in halfway.

Cas let out a little moan at the feeling, one finger not being too much of a stretch since Dean had already opened him up somewhat with his tongue. Dean’s fingers were a lot thicker, however, so one of his fingers was a lot bigger than Cas’. Still, Cas found himself encouraging Dean to slip in a second, and after a hesitant, “Are you sure?” from Dean, a second finger was sliding in alongside the first and Cas was letting loose a long and loud moan at the stretch.

There was the slightest burn to it as Dean’s fingers thrust into him, but Dean was gentle, a tender hand reassuring Cas, lying on his hip. Originally, Cas had just let Dean’s fingers do the work, but soon enough he was rocking backwards, fucking himself on Dean’s fingers as Dean just groaned at the pure sight of him.

Cas got lost in the feeling of it, in the burning pleasure and the stretch of Dean’s fingers. His head got foggy and muddled as he moved into every one of Dean’s touches, waiting until Dean hit just the right spot inside of him and Cas cried out in pure pleasure.

“Right there?” Dean questioned softly, rubbing his fingers gently over Cas’ prostate. Cas moaned shakily and nodded, throbbing around Dean’s fingers.

Dean made sure to hit Cas’ prostate on every thrust after that, and Cas appreciated it to no end. Pleasure ran up and down his spine like lightning, Dean’s fingers curling and thrusting inside of him in all the right ways. It wasn’t long before Cas was asking for a third and Dean was abiding by his request, slipping in a third finger and almost pushing Cas over the edge with the pure feeling of it, the thickness of all three fingers buried inside of him at once.

“Dean,” Cas keened when Dean thrust all fingers in and hit Cas’ prostate straight on.

“Good?” Dean questioned, keeping up a rhythm with his fingers that had Cas rocking into them even more.

“Yes,” Cas breathed back, his bones feeling loose inside of him, that warmth from earlier pulsing, reaching every corner of him. It spread and spread, got more intense as, soon enough, the stretch and burn wore off, until Dean’s fingers weren’t enough.

“More,” Cas eventually managed. Dean’s fingers slowed inside of Cas.

“You’re sure?”

Cas nodded.

“You think you’re stretched enough?”

“Dean, please,” Cas sighed, and he sounded almost exasperated. Dean shook his head and sighed, pulling his fingers out and listening to the small whimper Cas let loose in reply.

“Alright. Here, roll over, it’ll be easier that way,” Dean then murmured, guiding Cas so that he was lying on his back, legs spread, eyes wide and pleading. Dean bit his lip to bite back a groan at the sight.

Dean leaned forwards, looming over Cas in a way that made Cas feel small and submissive and those feelings made something hot run through him. The fact that he was submitting to someone so dominant, an alpha, someone so strong yet so gentle with Cas.

“You ready?”

The words sent a spike of nerves through Cas as he swallowed thickly and nodded. And then, before he knew it, the head of Dean’s cock was nudging at his rim and Cas couldn’t help but widen his eyes because Dean was a lot bigger than just those three fingers that had been inside of Cas.

Dean seemingly saw what Cas was thinking and soothed a hand up and down Cas’ side.

“Hey,” Dean murmured, voice soft. “It’s okay, I’ll go slow, alright?” he told Cas who sighed and nodded. Then, slowly, ever so slowly, Dean pushed into Cas in one solid, smooth motion. Cas’ lips parted, mouth falling open in a silent groan as his eyes fluttered shut. Dean’s fingers were the biggest thing Cas had had in him but Dean’s cock was even bigger and Cas felt so full he didn’t even have words to describe it.

Finally, when Dean’s hips were flush with Cas’ ass, Cas let out a breath he didn’t even realize he had been holding.

“Holy shit,” Cas finally managed, every part of his body tingling with some new sort of sensation Cas had never quite felt before. “Holy shit,” Cas then repeated, opening his eyes to look up at Dean who was grinning softly.

“Okay?” he asked, coaxing Cas to wrap his legs around Dean’s waist.

“More than,” Cas breathed back, adjusting to the thickness of Dean’s cock inside of him. “You’re fucking big,” Cas then added on softly just because he felt the need to. Dean laughed at that, burying his face in the crook of Cas’ neck, pressing a tender kiss there.

“Thanks, Cas,” he replied, and Cas had to smile when he felt Dean smiling into his skin. “Just tell me when you’re ready,” he then said more quietly, and Cas took a moment, took a deep breath before nodding.

“Alright,” Cas sighed, slowly wrapping his arms around Dean.

“Sure?”

“Mhm,” Cas hummed softly, letting out a breath and waiting before he felt Dean pull out ever so slightly to thrust back in. The sensation was almost strange at first, and it took a few moments to adjust, but then Dean was pulling out again to thrust in again, and again, and again until there was a slow, smooth rhythm building up that made Cas’ bones feel loose again.

Cas could tell that Dean was going pretty easy on him, his thrusts were shallow and fairly slow, not harsh in the slightest. It was pleasurable, sure, but Cas easily felt like there was more behind things, that there was more Dean had to offer.

“More,” Cas murmured softly against Dean’s neck. “Do it right,” Cas went on, knowing that when mating, usually things got rough, they weren’t slow and steady like they were going.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Dean muttered, nipping at Cas’ earlobe. Cas couldn’t help but roll his eyes at that.

“I’ll tell you if you’re hurting me,” Cas assured Dean.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

So, then Dean picked up his rhythm, started off thrusting deeper, something that got Cas breathing faster. The deeper Dean went, the more Cas moved into it, pulling himself into every one of Dean’s thrusts. The dull burn and slight sting that had initially come with the first thrusts Dean gave was wearing off and into a pleasant sort of sensation that Cas couldn’t really describe. All he knew was that he wanted more of it, that he was willing to get more of it.

Cas arched up, wiggled around underneath Dean and clutched onto him a little more.

“C’mon, harder,” Cas encouraged, fingertips digging into Dean’s back. “I know you have it in you,” Cas added on. Cas felt Dean grin against Cas’ neck as he sighed, pausing, grabbing Cas’ thigh and hauling him upwards a little more before starting to thrust in harder and harder, still going deeper, but now going faster.

Cas was satisfied enough with that, let out an appreciative moan as he moved even more into every one of Dean’s thrusts, as he tried to pull Dean closer to him, feeling that warmth inside of him grow and spread even more.

“That’s it, c’mon, Dean,” Cas breathed out, grinning. Dean groaned into Cas’ neck at that and Cas smiled, arching up even more into Dean.

“Fuck, Cas, you don’t know how fucking good you feel,” Dean managed, the slightest growl underlying his words and making Cas’ cock twitch. And then, Cas grinned a little, nosing at the side of Dean’s head.

“Come on, _Alpha_ ,” Cas teased, wondering just how the words would affect Dean. “I know you can do better than this.” 

Cas knew that some alphas got off on being called “alpha”, and Cas had no idea that Dean did until Dean’s thrusts stuttered for a moment, a soft growl was pulled from his throat, and one harsh, sharp thrust was given that went directly. To. Cas’. Prostate.

Cas screamed loud enough for Dean to have thought he hurt Cas.

Dean immediately pulled away, but Cas immediately pulled him back.

“Dean, shit, Dean, again, please,” Cas gasped, clutching almost desperately onto Dean. Then, once Dean didn’t start up immediately: “Alpha, please.”

And then Dean was back at it, thrusting into Cas in the same exact place that made Cas scream. 

Cas let out a very long, very loud moan that was very much appreciated by Dean who only thrust in harder at the sound. The harder Dean thrust into Cas the more Cas started to babble again, the more he felt pleasure shoot through him like electricity. It was almost overwhelming, the feeling of it, the feeling of being so close to Dean, the feeling of near overstimulation. It was when Cas arched upwards in a particular way and got his cock to rub in between his stomach and Dean’s that Cas really lost it.

“Dean, Dean, please, more, please,” Cas gasped, his nails for sure leaving red marks on Dean’s back. “So good, so so good, Dean, please,” Cas went on, eyes screwed shut in pleasure, mouth hanging open, a picture that was all too good for Dean to resist.

Dean gave Cas what he wanted, caved into every beg and plea Cas gave him. Cas relished in it all, open and wanting and wanton. It was only so long before Cas could feel that familiar wave of white hot pleasure cresting inside of him so beautifully; but he held it back, staved it off for a bit.

“Dean,” Cas keened, just teetering on the edge of orgasm. “Knot me, please, Dean, please.”

Dean groaned into Cas’ neck at that, and Cas could feel Dean’s knot around forming at the base of his cock, threatening to catch on any thrust.

“Dean, please,” Cas panted, feeling Dean give a gentle, warning bite to Cas’ neck. Cas groaned, knowing exactly what that meant. “Want it so bad, Dean, please,” Cas sighed, still trying to stave off orgasm, wanting to wait until Dean’s knot popped. And Cas knew just the thing to make that happen.

“Alpha, please.”

One more thrust and Dean’s knot popped, Cas gasping at the feeling of it, orgasm immediately washing over him in one hot wave of bliss that flooded every part of him as his cock pulsed between his stomach and Dean’s.

Cas instinctively arched up, neck tilted and bared just for Dean who was biting his lip so hard it looked like it hurt and looking somewhat hesitant.

“Do it,” Cas panted, eyeing Dean intently, almost daring him. “C’mon, Dean,” Cas went on, watching and waiting until Dean leaned forwards and latched onto the juncture between Cas’ shoulder and neck, biting so hard and deep that it drew blood and would definitely scar.

Cas whimpered at that, clutching even tighter onto Dean as he milked his knot for all it was worth, rocking back and forth gently as Dean ground little circles into him, teeth still settled over Cas’ skin.

Cas was glowing by the time he came down from his orgasm, feeling Dean hesitantly pull away from Cas’ neck only to kiss and lick over the bite he had left behind.

“So good for me, Cas, so so good for me,” Dean soothed, rubbing soothing hands over any inch of Cas he could reach. “Did so good, baby,” Dean went on, drawing a soft little whimper from Cas. “You okay?” Dean questioned, still pressing lingering kisses to the bite of Cas’ neck.

“Yes,” Cas sighed happily, wrapping his legs even tighter around Dean’s waist.

“We’re gonna be stuck like this for a little while,” Dean told Cas, pressing one last kiss to his neck. 

“That’s okay,” Cas replied softly, relaxing a little more into the bed. 

“And that bite is gonna scar,” Dean added almost sheepishly, pulling back to look at Cas who smiled softly.

“That’s also okay,” he told Dean who smiled back down at him and leaned down for a soft, soothing kiss. “What do we do after this?” Cas questioned, thinking of how Crowley and Michael needed to know that the bond had finally been carried out.

“We take a hot bath before we do anything because both of us need it,” Dean said, smiling, nosing Cas’ cheek to press a kiss there. “And we’ll go from there,” he sighed. Cas nodded.

“Sounds good enough.”

\---

After Dean’s knot finally went down and Cas could finally separate from Dean, Dean stuck to his word and immediately ran a hot bath in the rather large bathtub that the cabin provided. Dean made sure the water was hot but not too hot, and made sure that there were a lot of bubbles because, c’mon, who doesn’t love a good bubble bath?

Dean sank into it with Cas following, finding comfort in the space between Dean’s legs. Though Dean was sore too, Cas was definitely more sore, and the warm water offered immediate relief to those tense muscles.

Gentle hands wandered as Cas relaxed back against Dean with a sigh, his head resting on Dean’s shoulder, his eyes shut in contentment.

There was an unspoken silence that dragged on for a bit, nothing awkward or uncomfortable, just something simple and calm. 

“This is nice,” Cas spoke, however, breaking the silence. Dean hummed with a nod, nuzzling into the side of Cas’ head. Dean slid one hand smoothly around Cas’ waist, and Cas’ hand wandered down, interlacing his fingers with Dean’s and giving Dean something to smile about. “What happens next?” Cas then asked, his voice sounding almost sleepy. Dean sighed.

“I guess we call Crowley and Michael. We sign the contract. Then we’re free,” Dean told Cas, pressing a soft kiss to his neck, the side that hadn’t been bitten.

“What then?” Cas questioned, voice soft, almost timid.

“I don’t know.”

Dean answered truthfully because he didn’t have it in him to lie, to make up some elaborate plan that would never be followed through.

“I don’t know either,” Cas sighed, sounding a little disappointed. Dean squeezed his hand.

“Hey,” he began, nosing at the side of Cas’ head. “We’ll figure it out.”

“You’re not… leaving, are you?” Cas questioned, the words coming out stunted as though he didn’t even want to say them. Dean huffed a breath, shaking his head.

“Of course I’m not leaving,” Dean assured Cas who visibly relaxed.

“Where do we go, then?” Cas questioned, turning a little, trying to face Dean. “If I’m not going back to Heaven, you’re not going back to Hell, where are we going to live?”

“Down here?” Dean suggested. Cas gave Dean a dubious look. “What?”

“And angel and a demon just living happily on Earth?”

“Stranger things have happened,” Dean shrugged. Cas sighed once more and turned away, relaxing back against Dean once more.

“Whichever way you shake it, it doesn’t sound right,” Cas told Dean. 

“Well, I just know that I’m not leaving you,” Dean told Cas, nuzzling into his neck. Something warm grew inside of Cas, but was still tamped down at the thought of where him and Dean would go next.

“There’s a lot of loose ends here, Dean, and we can’t ignore them forever,” Cas pointed out.

“And we won’t,” Dean promised. “Cas, you don’t have to worry, alright? We’re mated now, I’m your alpha, and I’m here for you to protect you, and to care for you. No one’s gonna lay a hand on you and no one’s gonna take you away. And if they do, they’ll be very very sorry,” Dean assured Cas who smiled a little at the display of possessiveness. 

“You promise?”

Dean smiled and squeezed Cas’ hand again.

“I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so hopefully i didn't disappoint!!!! i know the build up for this fic has been that general 'they need to mate' vibe so you guys probably had hopes/expectations for the actual mating and i just hope that i fulfilled them!!!
> 
> next week we'll have our last chapter!!! the last chapter is fairly short (the chapter u just read was a little longer than most) and it's not anything spectacular, but it ties up those loose ends and gives you a sense for what comes next in cas and dean's life, so stick around!!


	9. Domesticity And Fulfilled Daydreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bond has been carried out, and now all that's left is the ritual... and figuring out what to do next. Dean promised neither of them would return to Heaven or Hell, but Crowley and Michael may have different expectations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (i don't know how to title chapters forgivE ME) last chapter!!! are you guys excited or what!!!
> 
> i know i made the summary sound angsty but i promise there's minimal angst and a happy ending. also i know that some of you left off at the last chapter and were like 'great fic, thanks for posting, had a great time reading it!!' and that's totally cool but i do want to give a s/o to all of you that stuck around for this chapter, the very last chapter, cuz it always means a lot when you guys stick with it from the very first chapter to the very last <3
> 
> (p.s. also the actual "ritual" is literally so anticlimactic so i apologize for that, i was mainly focused on the dynamic of dean/cas for most of the fic so when it came to the "ritual" i kinda was like ??? but anyways ya, enjoy!!)

After bathing until the water grew cold, and after one last night of rest in a bed Dean wished he could have kept, Dean and Cas wandered out to the woods around the cabin around noon.

“Alright, Crowley, you can get your ass down here, you got what you wanted,” Dean called out as Cas crossed his arms from behind Dean.

“You’re sure he’s just gonna come when you call? He runs Hell, he has business to do,” Cas pointed out.

“Yeah, and this is currently his most important business to take care of,” Dean told Cas who rolled his eyes.

“I don’t think-”

“Hello, Dean.”

“Alright, I was wrong,” Cas grumbled to himself as he turned to see Crowley standing leisurely a few feet away from Dean.

“How was the trip?”

“Spectacular,” Dean joked dryly with a roll of his eyes. “Now can you get Michael down here so we can sign whatever damn contract we need to?” Dean questioned.

“Michael’s already downstairs, waiting.”

“You carry out the contract in Hell?” Cas questioned, slight raise to his eyebrows. Crowley waved a hand.

“Doesn’t matter all too much where it’s carried out as long as there’s a witch and then, well, you two,” Crowley explained.

“Let me guess, Rowena is carrying this whole thing out?” Dean said, smirking. Crowley pursed his lips looking highly displeased.

“She was the only witch around willing to carry it out. I didn’t have time to quibble about it,” Crowley told Dean.

“Who’s Rowena?” Cas questioned almost cautiously, glancing between Dean and Crowley. Dean just looked over at Crowley, raised an eyebrow.

“Rowena is my Mother and a powerful witch who will be able to take care of this,” Crowley told Cas. “Now,” Crowley began before Cas could get a word in edgewise. “We should go before Michael gets pissy.”

And then Crowley was gone, leaving Dean and Cas to follow. Dean reached out a hand for Cas who took it carefully, and soon enough, Dean, Cas, Crowley, Michael, and Rowena were all in the same room, a not very pleasant room, a dark and dusty room that Cas wrinkled his nose at. Looking at Michael, Cas could see he was holding back on doing the same thing.

Hell was never a very palatable place for angels. Just common sense.

“Dean, long time no see,” Rowena immediately said, and Cas watched Dean smile over at her with a nod. “And you must be Castiel,” Rowena then went on, looking over at Cas. Cas smiled just slightly, nodded a bit. “Crowley and Michael have told me about you,” she offered. Before Cas could open his mouth, make some awkward small talk, Dean spoke.

“Alright, enough with the small talk, let’s not avoid the issue at hand. What do we have to do?” Dean questioned blankly, looking at Rowena, likely figuring that she was the one who knew what was happening the most.

“We just need blood from both of you,” Rowena said, looking between Dean and Cas. Cas gave Dean a dubious look but Dean just sighed and stepped forwards to a table that sat in the middle of the room, an old, brass bowl already holding seemingly half the ingredients for a spell, an ancient piece of parchment set next to it, and a knife next to that.

“Doing this the old fashioned way, huh?” Dean questioned as Rowena handed him the knife.

“The bond requires it to be so,” Michael chimed in from the other side of the room. Dean rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Always happy to bleed for a better cause,” Dean joked indifferently, huffing an annoyed breath of air before bringing the knife to his hand, sliding it slowly across his palm without even so much of a wince as a few drops of blood landed in the bowl. Once they had, Dean took the knife away and set it down on the table. Dean stepped back and Cas laid a gentle hand on his arm, glancing down at the wound on Dean’s hand and letting his grace take care of it, mending it so it was as if Dean had never been cut.

“Whoa,” Dean murmured, looking down at his hand, then back at Cas. “Thanks, Cas,” he went on, giving Cas a little smile. Cas smiled softly back.

“It’s nothing,” he told Dean, stepping forwards and in front of Dean, picking up the knife, doing the same as Dean had done, healing his wound afterwards with not even a flinch.

Once Dean and Cas had stepped back, Rowena stepped closer to the table, picking up the bowl and giving it the slightest shake before setting it back down. It was only a moment after that that she pulled away, spoke an incantation that meant nothing to Dean or Cas. Soon enough, however, golden and sparkling letters were appearing across the parchment in an ancient text that not even Cas could read. It was once Rowena had stopped talking, and the parchment had stopped glowing that Michael went over and picked it up, eyeing it before handing it over to Crowley who nodded.

“See? Harmless,” Crowley told Dean and Cas as he rolled up the parchment and tucked it into his coat.

“That’s seriously it?” Dean questioned, glancing between Crowley and Michael.

“That’s all that needs to be done,” Rowena told Dean who huffed a breath of laughter and shook his head.

“Pretty fucking anticlimactic but okay,” Dean sighed.

“Right, well, now that that’s over, Dean, I have business for you.”

“And, Castiel, there are orders waiting for you in Heaven,” Michael added. Dean and Cas looked between each other before Dean cleared his throat, looking over at Crowley.

“We weren’t really planning on separating.”

“I beg your pardon?” Crowley looked a little vexed, surprised.

“We were going to stay together,” Cas said, looking over at Michael.

“Castiel, your job is to serve Heaven,” Michael pointed out. That got to Cas, the fact that Michael was saying that when Michael was the one who had thrown him down with Dean in the first place.

“I’ve served Heaven by doing this,” Cas argued.

“There’s more work for you to do,” Michael went on. Cas could feel anger starting to rise in him.

“I may be speaking out of line, Michael, but it was you who tossed me out of Heaven to pursue this bond.”

“Yikes,” Crowley simply said after a long and tense pause. Dean sighed.

“Crowley, why don’t you and Rowena just get out of here, this isn’t your business,” Dean said.

“Ah, but it is my business because I need you back in Hell,” Crowley told Dean who’s heart dropped. Cas looked over at him, some sort of fear in his eyes.

“Listen, I’m not leaving Cas,” Dean told Crowley sternly.

“Dean, there are things that need to be done that I need you for,” Crowley began. From behind him, Rowena rolled her eyes.

“Oh, Fergus, just let them be together. It’s obvious that Dean is more independent than anything else,” Rowena said.

“Mother, this is not your argument, and you do not have any say in this so please, do me a favor, and leave,” Crowley said pointedly. Rowena sighed, turning on her heel.

“I’m still expectant of my payment for carrying out this spell, Fergus,” she called out over her shoulder as she left the room, leaving Cas, Dean, Crowley, and Michael to talk things out.

“If you two aren’t returning to Heaven and Hell, then where do you plan on going? Living a domestic life down on Earth?” Crowley questioned.

“We don’t know that yet,” Dean grit out.

“Castiel, your job here is done, you can return to Heaven now, that’s what you wanted,” Michael offered.

“My job isn’t done and I wanted something different before the bond was carried out. Dean and I are mated now, and as a mated omega and alpha we deserve to settle down,” Cas argued.

“Settle down?” Crowley echoed. “Dean, there is no way you’re thinking of settling down with an angel, that’s ridiculous,” Crowley huffed.

“It’s not ridiculous and it’s what I plan on doing,” Dean shot back. “Cas and I belong to each other now.”

“Castiel belongs to Heaven and he serves Heaven,” Michael intervened. “You don’t have free will, Castiel, you do as you’re told,” he added on.

“No, I don’t because Dean taught me free will. Dean is the reason I have the will to change what you’re asking of me,” Cas told Michael, voice raising itself just the slightest.

“Did you guys really expect to throw an omega and an alpha together, to have them mate and then expect them to part?” Dean questioned, indignant at that point.

“That’s how it’s always gone,” Michael replied.

“Well, it’s not going that way now,” Dean huffed.

“Listen,” Crowley began, looking highly stressed but trying to keep it together. “We’re all getting a little too worked up over this.”

“Deservedly so,” Michael replied. “Castiel is needed up in Heaven, he isn’t needed by a low ranking demon who lives in this cesspool.”

“Excuse me?” Dean said, stepping closer to Michael. Cas swallowed thickly, knowing Dean’s anger, knowing that he would easily get worked up over Michael’s words.

“Angels and demons are only supposed to mate once every hundred years, and then they return to their respective homes. And Castiel, your home is Heaven.”

“No, no, it’s not. None of the angels up there care, none of them know love and free will. Heaven isn’t where I belong,” Castiel told Michael sternly.

“Castiel, if you refuse to come back to Heaven, the only way you can get away is if you’re exiled.”

Oh.

Cas felt his heart drop at that. 

Cas glanced over at Dean who sighed and shook his head.

“Cas, don’t, you can’t just-”

“I can,” Cas replied, standing up straight. “If Heaven doesn’t accept me this way, I don’t accept Heaven,” Cas told Michael. Michael firmed his jaw, looked over at Crowley who just shrugged.

“You’ve only known Dean for a little over a month and you’re willing to sacrifice a home for him?” Michael questioned. Cas swallowed thickly.

“He is my home. I’ve had over a month to learn that.”

“You’re risking it all here, Castiel,” Michael said, voice a warning tone.

“And I’m willing to.”

There was a long, tense pause before Michael sighed.

“Don’t expect entry at the Gates. Don’t expect entry anytime soon, Castiel.”

And then Michael was gone, leaving Dean, Cas, and Crowley alone in a dark and damp room with Cas’ only hope standing next to him.

“I’m leaving, Crowley,” Dean told Crowley very matter of factly. Crowley seemingly debated replying with force, but decided against it.

“Is there any way I can make you stay?”

“None at all.”

“Very well then,” Crowley sighed. “I suppose you two should get going. A new life is waiting for you somewhere on Earth,” Crowley went on.

Dean and Cas looked at one another before Dean sighed and nodded.

“You’re right.”

-Two Years Later-

Domestic was a word that Dean hated. Had always hated. It was something he teased Cas about when they had been stuck in that cabin because the sheer idea of it made Dean laugh. 

Domestic as in a nice, clean cut house. Domestic as in a loving and even keeled relationship. Domestic as in safe and sound. Domestic as in everything Dean had never had in the entirety of his life.

Domestic was something Dean had accepted he would never have long long ago. It was something he decided, long ago, after realizing just how far fetched it sounded, that he didn’t want it. There was no use in wanting something he knew he could never ever have.

Except things changed, and Cas came into the picture.

After leaving Crowley, after Cas leaving Michael, Cas and Dean only had each other really. Stuck on Earth with no house, well, things looked kind of grim. And they were, admittedly, for a bit. But things started going their way. They found a house and settled down. Dean stuck by Cas’ side no matter what, was there for him during his heats, during the times when he missed his brothers in Heaven, during times when Cas just needed to be near someone. And Cas was there for Dean.

They were there for each other.

Years passed and things changed. Life turned out to not be so terrible on Earth without Heaven or Hell looming over them. And it was one night that Dean really realized that, one night where things came to a point that made Dean think.

It had been a normal night. Dean had cooked and Cas had told Dean how good the food was, then told Dean all about the new neighbors that had moved in across the street. “Kathy and her husband have a failing marriage, and it doesn’t take angel grace to see that,” Cas had muttered to Dean over pasta, and Dean had laughed because Cas always had people pinned down to a tee without even knowing them all too much.

Dean had had a long day at work (mostly vigilante stuff that Cas didn’t really ask about, only gave Dean warning looks about and told him not to get too deep in anything dangerous) so the sex was saved for another night. Instead, Dean popped in a DVD and him and Cas snuggled on the couch, arms wrapped around each other, legs tangled together. And there had been a brief argument because Cas wanted Ben and Jerry’s but it was all the way in the kitchen and Dean didn’t want to get up so they bickered half heartedly, no venom or meaning behind their words. And eventually Cas got his ice cream and happily let Dean share.

Dean started dozing off on the couch so Cas hauled him to bed, and they tangled themselves together once more, warm and content under the covers with steady heartbeats felt by each other.

They had talked, just normal, conversational stuff that wasn’t all too important. And eventually, Cas had fallen asleep curled happily and snugly into Dean’s arms. And it was after a few minutes of Dean letting his breathing even out, letting himself half drift to sleep with his hand carding through Cas’ hair that it hit him.

It hit him just how domestic him and Cas had grown. For Christ’s sake, Cas was critiquing new neighbors and Dean was cooking dinner in _their house_ that they owned. Cas even had a garden out back and Dean did house work on a regular basis. His and Cas’ relationship hadn’t dulled in passion, but it had evened out into something, something that ebbed and flowed like waves and offered enough comfort to keep both Dean and Cas content for a long long time.

Dean realized, with Cas curled into him, with Cas wrapped around him, that domesticity is something that had grown like dandelions between him and Cas without Dean even noticing it.

It made Dean think, it made him wonder to himself for just a moment why he had spent so long hating the idea of domesticity when it wasn’t bad, not at all. It was actually something Dean now wanted, something Dean liked. It was something he had grown into without knowing. But, now that he knew, he wasn’t about to complain. Not at all. He was about to recognize all he had. And Dean Winchester was never one for tearing up or crying or getting emotional, but he couldn’t help but feel a little pang in his heart when he thought that this had been what he had been missing out on for all those years of his life that he spent on the run.

Cas shifted against him, tightening his arms around Dean with a soft sigh as though he knew what Dean was thinking and he wanted to hug Dean even more for it. Maybe he did. Or maybe Dean was just imagining things.

The one thing Dean couldn’t imagine, however, was changing the lifestyle he was living. He couldn’t imagine having things any other way, he couldn’t imagine not living with Cas in some nice house with some new obnoxious neighbors and Cas’ garden out back. Dean couldn’t imagine living anything that wasn’t domestic. 

It scared him, but it was true. 

Dean learned, suddenly, not to hate the word domestic so much. He learned to really really love it.

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, idk about the whole ending/epilogue deal cuz it was very dean-centric whereas the entirety of the fic was kind of even keeled pov wise (at least i think???) but ya, there's that!! it's over!! what did you think??? loved it, hated it?? both?? tell me what you thought!! i do want to give a big thank you to all of you that read through the whole thing, i want to thank you all graciously for all the kudos and all the wonderful and kind comments i got regarding this fic, it was interesting to write, it was something i hadn't really delved into before, and it was a new experience for me and your guy's support means the world to me <333
> 
> thank you guys again for reading, commenting, and encouraging me, i appreciate it to no end!!!

**Author's Note:**

> first chapter, out of the way!! how do you feel? did you hate it? love it? have mixed feelings? let me know!! like i said, it's already prewritten so there's not too much i can change pertaining to the outcome of what happens next (sorry:( ) but feel free to let me know what you thought and what you hope to see or what you think will happen next!! thank you guys so much for reading, i hope you stick around for the next chapter <3


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